


The Home We Made Together

by lilmaeval



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic, M/M, Mako's got a pet pig named Poaka, Self-Harm, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-07-18 17:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 44,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7324333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilmaeval/pseuds/lilmaeval
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mako is an algae farmer who lives alone with his pet pig, content with his solitary life.  However his money conscious side gets the best of him, causing him to open up an unused flat in his basement.  After a strange call from an interested buyer, he soon has a new lodger that unsettles the peace he thought he'd made long ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The House You Should Not Throw Stones Through

Sweat dropped from a furrowed brow, narrowed eyes staring intensely at the green pool beneath, held in a small greenhouse that was dwarfed by the size of the man studying the materials within.  “The pH is normal,” the man muttered to himself, writing it down in his tablet’s spreadsheet app and stepping back.  Everything was growing well in his algae beds.  Though he was a small local farmer, the medicinal value of algae actually gave him a pretty decent sell most days, but the economy was getting worse, and he knew he couldn’t rely on such a small plot for long.

 

That was why he’d finally put the apartment up on Craigslist.

 

Picking up his phone on the second ring, he heard a stuffy voice on the other end.  “Is this the number of Mr. Mako Rutledge?”

 

“Yeah,” Mako bluntly replied, expecting to hear a spiel about some insurance policy or credit card.

 

“Greetings, my name is Solomon Winchester,” it was definitely gonna be about insurance--”and I represent a client interested in the apartment listing at your address.”

 

...A real estate agent?  Calling from a listing on Craigslist?  He knew that the majority of those links were usually fake, right?  Letting out a little grunt, the larger man wandered over to his deck and sat down on his chair under the umbrella table.  “Oh,” he cautiously spoke forward, “a client?  Is that so...”

 

“Yes,” the man on the other end seemed to be all business, replying as fast as he did, “we were wondering if it might be possible to look at the location in person.”

 

A small weight made itself noticed on Mako’s knee, causing the man to look down and see his pet pig, Poaka, looking up at him with sweet and needing eyes.  The suspicion in his heart remained, but his tension melted away as Mako pet the pig’s soft head.  “Yeah, yeah,” he murmured, “time and date?  What’s this guy’s name?”

 

There was silence on the other end, and a shuffling of papers followed by an annoyed hiss.  “His name is Jamison Fawkes,” he heard hastily spoken over the line, “we will be visiting tomorrow.” WIth that, the line was hung up.  No questions about phone numbers, other ways to contact one another, and that odd ending...

 

With a name like Jamison Fawkes, there seemed to be trouble coming his way.

 

ヽ( ・ (OO) ・ )⊃━☆ﾟ.*・

 

Mako built the image of Jamison Fawkes up in his mind.  At first, all he saw was an average looking guy, probably with English physical traits what with his name and all.  Maybe he wore a suit.  Maybe he wore tight, revealing clothing.  He probably had an amazing physique, tall, dark, and handsome and what not, which would surely contrast against Mako’s own large body.  He probably had great hair, chocolate locks that coiffed perfectly around a sculpted face worthy of Hollywood.  Yeah...the attractive basement dweller and the troll on the surface.  What a reversal of roles.

 

Not that anyone really said all that much to his face, but...Mako knew what people thought about him.  It was evident in their faces when people cleared around him in the wide aisles of the grocery store.  There stares they gave right in front of his face.

 

There were only two, maybe three people who didn’t care about his appearance.  They weren’t here anymore, though, so it didn’t matter.

 

Jamison Fawkes would certainly think of him as much of a freak as anyone else.  Even if his apartment was dirt cheap for the value in it, he probably wouldn’t see heads or tails of his lodger except to pay his rent.  Still...That was probably for the best.  Mako didn’t open the apartment for company, like hell would he do that.

 

The doorbell rung, he was here.  Mako got up from his seat in the kitchen, placing his tea back on its saucer and walking over, Poaka in tow.  He quickly pushed the pig onto the gate in front of the stairs, telling him to go upstairs.  With a snort, the pig followed as commanded.  Why would he ever get a dog or a cat when pigs were clearly the smartest pets?

 

Staring at the door for a second, Mako took a breath and prepared himself.  All he needed to do was get the apartment sold.  That was all for now...the loneliness would soon follow.  Reminding himself of this, he opened the door.

 

Jamison Fawkes was nothing like he imagined, and yet at the same time, exactly what he had expected most of all.

 

He definitely was tall, that was for sure.  Not compared to Mako, but he held a little more height compared to his...agent?  They looked way more like a secret service agent with their suit and glasses...But that couldn’t really compare to the way Jamison seemed to shrink as soon as he had Mako’s gaze on him.

 

He was the very definition of the word feeble.  He wore a slack white shirt that made him look like he was nothing but skin and bones, along with capris that were cut up at the knee on each leg.  This moved on to the most interesting aspect Mako noticed almost instantly...his prosthetic arm and leg.  Both on the same side, his right.  His arm, in fact, was actually moving on its own.  It must have been one of those newer types that could be connected to the neurons of the brain...impressive.  And in a way, a little sad because Mako could come up with a thousand ways in his mind how that was probably what made him have to end up getting such a cheap apartment, the thing must have cost a fortune.

 

Alright, so maybe he’d judged a little too harshly about someone over just their name alone, but he was right about one thing.  Even though the man’s blonde hair was a mess of wild locks that made him look like the devil rather than a superstar, he definitely was a striking contrast to Mako in every way.  At the very least, he did have some rather strong facial features...?

 

“Mr. Mako Rutledge?” The agent spoke sharply, catching Mako’s attention finally.

 

“Yeah, that’s me,” the homeowner quickly clasped his hands, “you’re the guy on the phone yesterday, Mr. Winchester, right?”

 

“That is correct,” the man spoke formally, Jamison next to him remaining quiet and his head twitching from moment to moment.  What the hell had happened to him...? “May we be allowed to see the space?”

 

This guy really was all business...That was what Mako had wanted, of course, but there seemed to be something really unsettling about all of this.  Someone so small and seemingly missing half of his right in a way...It sent shivers down the large man’s side for the first time in many, many years.  “Of course,” he murmured, beckoning the two inside and opening the door to the basement.

 

“Is there a way to enter the space from the outside?”

 

Mako looked back up at the agent, still at the door and his...client looking out towards the horizon.  “Yes,” he answered, gaze flicking back from man to where he was just headed, “I was going to have us exit through that way.”

 

“Excellent,” the agent stepped in and turned towards the other man at the door, “Mr. Fawkes, would you like to enter first?”

 

There was something unreadable about the man’s expression.  It was as though the other was trying to smile, but only able to keep his mouth somewhat opened as his wide eyes flickered about.  It was when he saw the other walk, or hobble as it were, that Mako suddenly realized he’d be a really big fucking tool if he didn’t give this guy the place.  This was exactly the type of person that was in mind when the apartment was being built.

 

“It’s this way,” Mako repeated under his breath, headed down the stairs to the basement as the other grabbed onto the railings and allowed himself to slip down to the bottom effortlessly.  At least he was capable at using his handicap to his advantage, that was for sure.  Switching on the light, the apartment came to life.  Yesterday, Mako had stepped in it for the first time in years to clear out all the cobwebs and dust.  It wasn’t too hard, especially after opening the windows, but it did unsettle him still.  But now, now he felt barely anything.  This place...wasn’t going to really belong to him soon.

 

One bedroom, one bathroom, one kitchen, one living space, one office.  It was the bachelor’s dreampad, with as much square footage as the home above, and plenty of space for whatever the heart desired, along with it being fully furnished.  The TV was an old model at this point, but if the man had any money to spend to get an agent, he probably still had money to get better appliances.  And...well, even though this place was meant to make revenue, Mako couldn’t help but feel that he could chip in as well.  Or maybe he could come upstairs for dinner, and maybe even a cuppa...

 

No, no.  That wasn’t how this worked.  It just wasn’t...

 

He’d be better off if he was just alone.  That was what he told himself for the past ten years, and besides Poaka, it hadn’t failed him in the slightest.

 

Besides, it wasn’t right to assume that the other got the nasty looks that Mako got.  At least the could-be lodger could be sympathized for.  Mako was more or less seen as lazy or surprised he could even walk, much less run with a great deal of stamina when he rarely did it.

 

“What’s the, ah, wi-fi password here, mate?”

 

Mako’s thoughts halted instantly as he heard one of the thickest Australian accents he’d heard in years.  Not since he’d gotten out of that country when he was eighteen...And it came from Jamison.  Of all the accents someone could have...

 

“It’s, uh,” Mako rolled his eyes into his head for a moment.  For someone who hated stares as much as him, he certainly was being a hypocrite that day...”welcome to the apocalypse, all one word.”

 

A string of giggles and what looked to be a genuine smile appeared on Jamison’s face, the smaller man typing it into his phone and seeming to have a look of contentment in those wild red eyes.

 

Everything about the way Mako thought about him was all sorts of wrong coming from a man as irreparable as him.  There wasn’t any way a person like this could be any different from the rest of the world, no matter the sympathetic appearance they had.

 

The rest of the evening was a blur.  The tour was rather short, seeing as there was only five rooms that were straightforward in their designation.  Soon enough, money talk came around.  The full $500/month was on the table, Jamison seeming to be the type of man to hate negotiations as much as one could.  What with nothing more or less to be lost, the contract was signed, and the next day, the man would be moving in.

 

In less than a span of a weekend, Mako had gotten the apartment filled with some life.  With who was going to live in there...he couldn’t help but feel deep in his heart, they would have liked him.  They probably would have been so insistent on making him part of their...But that was ten years ago.

 

This wasn’t moving on, just using what was left behind to keep existing, like they would have wanted.

 

“Pardon me, mate,” Jamison piped up before leaving the house to spend his last night at whatever hotel he was in at the moment, “you don’t, ah, mind me comin’ ta visit ya upstairs from time ta time, do ya?”

 

“Hm?” The question caught him off guard.  And here he was about to go and dump out his undoubtedly cold tea and get a fresh cup...”I suppose not...Just be warned, I do have a pet.”

 

“Oh, that’s fine!” The smaller man grinned wide.  “I just wanted ta know.  It’d be pretty boring to live in a place all alone, ‘specially when ya’ve got year-round company just upstairs, or downstairs in your case.  That’s why ya made the flat, right?”

 

Mako really wished he could just rip off the sunglasses on Jamison’s agent, just to see what his damn expression was when Jamison asked things like that.  Taking a breath, Mako unclenched his hands and simply shrugged for his answer, remaining silent.  He couldn’t speak.

 

“..Hmph,” Jamison muffled against his own lips, shrugging himself and going back to that odd smile of his, “guess I’ll take that as a yes.  Well then, seeya later, mate!”

 

In a matter of a moment, Mako was alone again.  Sluggishly making his way back inside, he heard a whining squeal come from upstairs.  The man opened the gate quietly and watched as his pig snuggle up to his leg.  “Come on,” he murmured, “let’s get you dinner.”

 

The night hadn’t even come yet, and Mako was already lowkey dreading tomorrow’s sunrise and what it would bring.  Maybe, if he acted like really shit company, the other wouldn’t feel implied to come up and visit.  After all, that was what was already going to happen, wasn’t it?  The gall of that guy to say he wanted to even visit him...

 

It was only when he heard the crash that Mako realized he’d gone and dropped his cup.  Cursing under his breath, he swept it up fast and dumped it, grunting.  Damn it, that was one of the old ones...Once the pieces were in the trash, a weight set upon his soul, quickly grabbing a seat on his couch and covering his face.

 

The image of  _ that _ day flashed in his mind.  And then...His face.  Jamison’s face.  Jamison...

 

Jamison Fawkes really was going to bring him trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For once I'm actually excited about a multichapter fic I'm working on and have the entire story outlined enough to actually do it??? This is unprecedented. I hope my passion shined through and that you enjoyed it! owo


	2. Where the Heart Is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I just really want to say thank you all so much for the support! I'm legitimately shocked by how many of you left such kind comments and are as excited for this story as much as I am!! I can only hope that you enjoy the upcoming chapters and that you stick around for what's next~!
> 
> EDIT: AHHH why didn't anyone tell me the there was a typo in the title?!?! T~T I'm just gonna...crawl over here OTL

It was amazing how, despite how much a person could change, the scars on one’s body could remain as a reminder of one’s old self.  Looking in the mirror in his bathroom after getting out of the bath, Mako rubbed his thumb across the scar along his face, sighing as he dropped the towel around his waist and grabbing the shorts and hawaiian shirt he’d wear for the day.  After tightly adjusting his belt around himself, he stepped out to the sound of an impeccable vehicle pulling into his driveway.  It must have been Jamison.

 

“G’day, mate!” The expected guest waved his good arm as he left the car, wearing a novelty backpack shaped like a tire with spikes and chains on it along with a small suitcase held in his bionic arm.  “How do ya do?”

 

“Well enough,” Mako answered, intending to enter the apartment from the outside only to watch as the man entered right through the front door.  “Do, you, ah, need me to take a bag?”

 

“Hm?” Jamison tilted his head nearly upside down, turning his body to face the other.  “Oh, this?  Naw, don’t worry, I’m more than capable~!” Standing next to the staircase downstairs Jamison pushed the suitcase down, looking straight ahead the entire time.

 

Hearing the car leave, Mako looked back to it and saw no company markings on it.  Huh.  “I didn’t know Über went all the way out here,” he murmured, shutting the door.

 

“‘Course they do,” Jamison grinned, grabbing the railings and sliding down to the level below, “they go everywhere, don’t they?”

 

That was true, he guessed.  Mako descended to the basement slowly, watching as the other seemed to make himself instantly comfortable tossing the clothes in his case in a mish mash of drawers in the bedroom.  He couldn’t help but wonder how often they would stay in there...

 

“You, uh,” Mako coughed into his large fist, “are you all set then?”

 

Jamison turned away from his work, blinking as he stared at the other.  “Well, there is one thing,” ah, here it was, “do ya mind if I ask ya for grocery items from time to time?  Like now?”

 

Groceries...?  Mako raised an eyebrow and kept his eyes on the lodger.  “You can’t get them yourself?” He asked.  Jamison’s neck twitched.

 

“Well, ah,” the other scratching behind his ear and looking away, he let out a string of giggles, “it’s just...you seem to know this place enough, and I, ah, don’t like goin’ out often as it is.  I’ll pay ya for gas too?”

 

Oh.   _ Oh. _  Mako took a deep breath and felt his sympathies get the best of him, hands resting themselves in the pockets of his shorts and letting out a harumph.  “That’s fine,” he murmured, “just text me what you want, okay?  I’ll give you my number and I’ll get you what you need.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, of course!” A goofy grin grew on the lodger’s face, going over with his phone.  “Lay it on me, mate~!”

 

After exchanging numbers, a loud squeal from above caught both of their attentions, along with the sound of hasted tiny footsteps going down stairs.  Ah, Poaka finally woke up and realized the basement door was opened.  Soon, the pig bum rushed the new guest, knocking Jamison to the ground and sniffing him rather forcefully with his big snout.

 

He had a really interesting laugh, that Jamison.  Mako leaned on the doorframe and watched as the other started petting Poaka and giggling, supposedly getting tickled by the pig’s soft face.  “Who’s a good hoggy woggy~?” Jamison tickled the pig happily, kissing between his eyes.  “Oh, it’s you!  You’re a good piggy wiggy!!”

 

Poaka must have been loving this.  Since Mako didn’t get much company, the pig was always starved for attention, plus it was even rarer he got to be called such sweet nicknames.  “His name’s Poaka,” he spoke up, “I’m glad you seem to like him.”

 

Jamison chuckled as he continued to pet the pig, not seeming to mind as the pet gently sat down on his lap.  “Well, he’s a pretty great pig,” he grinned, continuing to scratch his head, “he’s definitely better than the pigs I’ve had to deal with.” A scoff followed, the lodger’s expression contorting into one of disgust before returning to that happy one he wore so well as Poaka sniffed his cheek.

 

Pigs, huh?  Yeah, he remembered having those on his tail when he was younger.  A smirk creeped on his face unknowingly as he felt a chuckle escape him, turning his head and covering his mouth as soon as he heard it.

 

It seemed as though Jamison hadn’t heard, however, as he was typing away on his phone.  It must have been the grocery list.  “I’ll get going then,” Mako announced, turning about and heading towards the stairs.  No call for his attention...good.

 

ヽ(  -  (OO) ・ )⊃━☆ﾟ.*・

 

Just as Mako added the fertilizer to the algae pool and finished his check on the motor to ensure it was running well, he felt a buzz in his pants.  Ah, the rarely received text message.  Jamison must have finally finished his list...Or, he hadn’t been working on it that whole time and was actually just talking to somebody.  Why hadn’t he thought that before...

 

Opening up his message, Mako read probably one of the most college appropriate grocery lists he’d ever seen.  Canned noodle soup, canned pork and beans, canned pineapples, ramen, ramen, ramen...Boba?  Was that some new trend...?  Underneath it were some requests for certain types of tea and milk and a link to the Blue Oyster, an Asian foodmart Mako visited from time to time.  But he’d never seen anything labelled boba there...

 

As much as he hated to admit it, he did need to talk to the lodger about it.  Mako lifted up his shorts and walked towards the outside entrance, opening it and walking down.  But...He was nowhere to be found?  “Jamison,” he called out, squinting his eyes and placing his hands on his hips.  He wouldn’t be...Going upstairs to the inside, Mako was drawn to the sound of the television upstairs turned on, a rugby match on screen, and Jamison curled up into a tight ball as he watched.  “Jamison,” he called again, catching the man’s attention, “I wanted to ask--”

 

“Oh hey!” The man scrambled up and grasped the couch, pointing a finger gun at the man.  “Ya don’t gotta be so formal.  Call me Jamie, I insist!”

 

A nickname already?  Fair enough...”Jamie,” he firmly spoke, “I need to ask you about this one thing on the list you sent.  What is boba?”

 

The question seemed to set the lodger off, watching as he quite nimbly hopped over the couch and grasped his unevenly cut hair tightly.  “Ya haven’t had boba before?!” He seemed unnecessarily upset about this.  “Where’ve you been livin, mate, underneath a rock or somethin’?!”

 

“No,” Mako grunted, “I’ve been living here.  Alone.”

 

“Well you ain’t anymore, mate,” Jamison scoffed, “I only gave that address so ya’d know where ta find some, and that was the first place ta show up on Google.”

 

“I know it,” Mako admitted, “doesn’t mean I know what boba is though.”

 

Jamison grunted as his neck twitched again, turning his head back and forth as if contemplating something.  Finally, the shorter man attempted to lock gazes with Mako, cheeks puffed up.

 

“I’ll go with ya,” he stated, “I’ll help ya on your shoppin’ trip.”

 

Well, that would be fine.  Not that Mako would let their eyes meet long enough for him to know that.  Mako folded his arms and kept his gaze to the floor, pouting his lips to one side.  “I’ll be goin’ tomorrow,” he spoke eventually, hearing a snort below and picking up a sniffing Poaka, “be ready by nine in the morning.”

 

He really did have a wide grin, didn’t he?  Jamison hopped up and down from his good to his prosthetic leg, giving Poaka a good neck scritch.  “Ya can count on me, mate~!” He giggled, stumbling over to the downstairs.  “I’ll be up bright and early!!” With that, Jamison closed the door to the basement.  He wasn’t really going to sleep, was he?  It was only three in the afternoon...

 

ヽ( ・ (OO) ・ )⊃━☆ﾟ.*・๏ เ ภ к !

“Stay out of trouble when we’re out there.”

 

“I’ll be on me best behavior!”

 

With that, the two hit the road in Mako’s Jeep towards the town center.  Turning on some tunes, Mako’s expression remained stagnant as loud heavy metal blasted from the speakers.

 

“Awww yes, mate!!” Jamison at least seemed to enjoy it.  “How do you have such good taste?” Mako adjusted the sunglasses on his face and turned his head towards the other, watching how the blonde pat his hands on his lap to the rhythm of the drums.  In a way, Mako couldn’t help but notice that the other seemed to be going for an incognito look.  He was wearing a hoodie with the hood up to cover his hair, a glove on his bionic hand, and long jeans to cover his legs.  Reaching into his glove compartment, Mako pulled out a box of disposable face masks, catching Jamison’s attention.  As he put it on, he raised an eyebrow and watched as the passenger slowly take one out as well and cover his face, noting maybe a hint of relief in the other’s eyes.

 

Well then.  At least he helped in completing the undercover look.  “So,” he coughed, “that Asian food mart has sushi, if you wanted to pick it up for lunch.”

 

“Yeah, that sounds good!  I’m always up for some weeb food~!” Jamison curled up in his seat and nodding his head to the rhythm.

 

That was an interesting way to put it.  Mako kept his eyes straight on the road, stopping slowly at a red light and feeling his heart rate beat a little faster like it always did when he was at a traffic light.  Soon enough, it was green.  Looking on both sides of the road and seeing they were devoid of any traffic, he booked it to the other side and continued at an even pace.

 

“So, ah,” Jamison slipped the mask off to talk and pulled out a nail file and started cleaning the tips of his nails, which Mako now noticed thanks to the attention towards them that they were black with some flame details.  How edgy.  “How long have ya been livin’ here?”

 

Mako squinted his eyes and thought about it in his head.  The years were a blur, but he couldn’t forget when he’d bought the house, right?  “I was, uh,” racking his brain for an answer, it finally hit him as he stopped at another light, “I was 25, so that was about 23 years ago now.”

 

“Hey, that’s my age!” Jamison beamed for just a second before his brow furrowed.  “Wait...” The smaller man began to count his fingers vigorously, staring hard until he managed to figure it out...and then he didn’t.

 

“I’m 48,” Mako spoiled Jamison’s fun and heard a sharp gasp in reply.

 

“No ya ain’t, mate!!”

 

“Tell that to my doctor.”

 

“But ya can’t be!! You’re too young.”

 

Mako let out a scoffing laugh, muffled by the mask over his face.  Jamison crossed his arms and turned his head away, snarling himself and whipping his face back around.

 

“Being that age means ya have somethin’ in common with me dipstick of a dad!”

 

He was the same age as Jamison’s father.  Of course he was.  “Oh,” Mako replied dryly, “I guess that means we’re the same person, then.”

 

“No, ya ain’t,” the shorter man stuck out his tongue and pouted as he continued to contort himself in an attempt to become perfectly ball shaped, “if you’se was me dad, I wouldn’t get nothin’ from ya.  The only time he ever did anythin’ for me was when he saw me half-limbless or whatevah ya call it.”

 

Beyond feeling his own guilt at having done a lot of things already for Jamison because of his handicap when apparently that was the only reason his dad did anything either, Mako learned something new out of this about the other that he hadn’t really quite expected.  He was very...open with his feelings, wasn’t he?  Far more than Mako, who couldn’t find the words to say for the life of him as the light turned green, checking all sides before racing ahead.

 

“But you,” Jamison’s tone changed, the repulsive way he spoke melting away as he turned his head and wore a near aweing smile, “you’re just about the nicest person I’ve met in years.”

 

“You must not know a lot of people,” Mako instantly retorted, a knot in his stomach forming as he took in what the man said.

 

“I do,” the passenger defended lightly, “but they’re just...not very good people.  An’ neither am I, so bad company attracts bad company or whatevah.  Still, it’s nice ta actually meet a person who’se, well, the friendly sort.”

 

It was honestly impressive just how wrong Jamison was about him.  Or just, in general, how woefully wrong he could be about a person.  He wanted to ask what about him made the larger man seem nice in those sparkling red eyes of his, but Mako suspected that he’d just list off things he’d done because he pitied the other.

 

Mako instead sighed, really fucking hating what a horrible person he was.  He could always hope that maybe, just maybe, he could try and be a better person for Jamison’s sake, but what would the point of that be?  It wasn’t like the man was going to live in his house for forever, and he’d be alone soon enough.  Better to keep one’s distance, after all.

 

Pulling into the parking lot of a plaza lined up with a variety of stores, Mako parked in a spot closest to the grocery store, stepping out of his car and stretching as he felt the sun on the top of his head.  At least today would be a fairly nice day.  Maybe afterwards, he’d take Poaka on a walk.

 

“What’re we waitin’ for?” Jamison gleefully grabbed a carriage and started pushing forward.  “Let’s get on it, mate!”

 

He was about to go rushing in with his face uncovered.  Mako signalled to Jamison with a hood pulling up motion and tugging at his own mask.  The smaller man blinked until he finally got it, covering his face fast and holding a thumb up.  With that, they entered the store.

 

As soon as they entered, the two split up to opposite ends of the store, Mako taking the carriage and heading towards the produce section while Jamison rushed towards the freezer aisles.  While Mako took his time picking out the best products at the best prices, Jamison was surprisingly fast enough to run from one end to another and throw in the cart whatever he had, leaving Mako to organize it before he could back to his own shopping.  This continued until they eventually met up in the middle, in the meat department.

 

“What’cha gonna get?” Jamison leaned on the carriage and watched as Mako studied the cuts below.

 

“Just some chicken,” the one paying for all of this murmured, grabbing the ones he liked and putting them in, “I already got some fish, but some extra protein won’t hurt.  Why?  I’ll get something if you’ll actually make it yourself.”

 

Jamison tapped his lips and wore a wild grin.  “How about some pork?”

 

“No.”

 

“Ham?”

 

“Stop.”

 

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Jamison chuckled, wisely stopping as Mako had gone and lifted up his glasses to stare him down, “ya know I wouldn’t do that ta ol’ Poaka!”

 

“Better not,” Mako huffed, pushing the cart towards the front and letting his gaze turn back to watch Jamison from time to time.

 

He watched as Jamison’s good hand extended forward towards Mako’s own hand, until the shorter man pulled back.  He then reached out with his bionic arm, but then once again, he pulled back, each clenched into a fist.  That was odd--

 

“We’re gettin’ the boba, ain’t we?” Jamison hopped up front, as if nothing had happened.  Well, technically, nothing did happen.  Maybe he wasn’t reaching for his hand after all.  Maybe he was just trying to get attention, but didn’t know how to grab it.  To be fair, Jamison seemed to be just as bad at words as Mako, but he didn’t seem to care and spoke what he spoke anyway.

 

“Yes,” Mako calmed the bouncing man, pushing forward and walking past him towards a cashier with a small line, watching as other folks migrated to other lines and seeing their attempts to hide their disdain, “it’s at the store across the plaza.  We’ll head over there after this and pick up lunch.”

 

“Sounds good,” Jamison started to put the food onto the conveyor rapidly, “I’m starvin’ already!”

 

Well, at least that speed of his was useful.  Soon enough, they were out the store in both one of the shortest and yet one of the longest feeling trips he’d been on.  Mako hadn’t realized just how sapped of energy he felt until they were out the door.

 

Once at his car, they managed to pack the trunk rather tightly and hopped back in.  Giving the duty of escorting the carriage back to the drop off area, Mako picked him back up and the two made their way across the parking lot to the Blue Oyster.  Once inside, Mako watched as Jamison rushed through the aisles until he found what he wanted, waving it in the air and giving his location away.  Walking towards him, he saw the plastic container full of little bubbles.  “This is boba...?”

 

“Yep!” Jamison was practically bouncing up and down.  “Ya put it in iced milk tea and it makes it taste so good~!”

 

Milk tea?  Mako winced slightly.  That wasn’t exactly his...well, cup of tea.  “I see,” he shrugged, “I think I’ll pass.”

 

“Aw, come on!” Jamison whined and held up his hands to his chin.  “Ya gotta trust me on this!!  It goes with just about everything, mate, I swear on me mum’s grave!”

 

That was...quite the swear.  Mako sighed and conceded with a shrug.  “If you want me to try it that badly...”

 

“YES!” Jamison jumped, landing on his good leg and balancing himself.  “Right, where’s the sushi, then?”

 

“In the back,” and with that, they picked up a boat load of sushi and were on the road home, Jamison snacking on some Flaming Hot Cheetos he got.  Loudly.  With his mouth open.  “By the way,” Mako murmured as he drove, trying to drown out the munching noises with words, “earlier, you called it...’web’ food or something?”

 

“Hm?  Ah, no, I called it weeb food.”

 

“...What is that?”

 

“Ya know, weeb, like weeaboo?”

 

“...”

 

“Ya don’t know what a weeaboo is...?”

 

“No.”

 

“Oh, it’s, er, when a western fan of anime gets all too into it an’ start actin’ a fool speakin’ Japanese words outta context.”

 

“Are you saying eating food from another country is bad...?”

 

“Nah, nah, it’s kinda a joke more like.”

 

“That’s not really a great joke...what is anime?”

 

“Er, Japanese cartoons.  Ever seen Pokémon?”

 

Ah... _ She _ watched that show, didn’t she?

 

“I know it.”

 

“Yeaaaah, that’s like, a popular anime here, but there’s lots better where it came from!”

 

“I see.  I didn’t expect someone who watched rugby to watch cartoons.”

 

“Well, ya see mate,” Jamison began to lick the cheese off of his fingers, looking over at Mako with a grin, “I’m usually not really watchin’ sports for the game, or the sparklin’ discussions of the broadcasters.”

 

Squinting, Mako wracked his brain for what the hell he meant when he said that.  “...Is that supposed to actually work as an alternative to porn?”

 

“Beats me,” Jamison shrugged, “I’m just there for the hobby of it.”

 

Well that was a lackluster answer.  To be fair, he gave a pretty invasive guess, but still.

 

Another red light.  Another check of either side on the green.  Another quick dash to the rest of the road.

 

“Yer kinda a cautious driver,” Jamison noted quietly, the infuriating munching having stopped altogether and replaced with the crinkling of the bag being closed.

 

“You can never be too careful,” Mako sighed, “ya learn that eventually when you’ve been on the road enough like me.”

 

“Fair enough,” Jamison turned his head and looked out the window, silence claiming the car again.  Mako forgot how comforting it could be...Suddenly, he heard the sound of a magnetic button coming undone.  Turning his head, he watched as Jamie pulled out a hundred dollar bill from his wallet, holding it out to Mako.  “Said I’d pay ya back.”

 

“Guess ya did,” Mako smirked, finally pulling down his mask and taking the cash and pocketing it, “thanks.  I suppose you’ll wanna try makin’ that tea of yours?”

 

“Yeah!!”

 

“Heh, guess I also gotta look forward to it considerin’ you’re so excited.”

 

“Ya better be!”

 

The sun was high in the sky, and the world never seemed so bright.  There was definitely a breath of new life in the home that had remained as stagnant as Poaka’s mud pool in the backyard, and they hadn’t even gotten back to the house yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mm, Flaming Hot Cheetos~~ I actually haven't had those in like forever...I have had boba recently, though! Can never have enough of it :p
> 
> Yeahhhh part of what helped me get into the mayhem first of all was learning what Junkrat canonically has in that canteen of his, so I tend to portray him very sweetly in my writing. It's probably more than a lil ooc ngl ( ._.) oh welllll. Thank you for reading and I hope you'll stick around for the next owo


	3. Taking the Heat

Mako stared straight ahead at the tall glass placed before him, raising an eyebrow as Jamison threw in a large straw and threw a few jazz hands.  So this was the use of boba...and considering the size of the straw, it seemed as though you were supposed to eat those things through the tea.  When the lodger had taken them from the boiling water earlier, Mako thought they were pretty weirdly chewy.  Maybe they would taste better in the tea...?

 

Taking his first sip of the liquid only, Mako winced a bit and sighed.  “Eugh,” he let out, “I forgot how much milk tea doesn’t sit well with me...”

 

“Just keep tryin’ it, mate,” Jamison sat back on the counter, arms crossed against his topless chest.  Once they’d gotten inside, the other seemed all too eager to take it off, which Mako could understand since he usually also went without a shirt, but he didn’t feel comfortable enough around the other to do that now.

 

Nonetheless, Mako took a breath and drank another sip, this time getting a boba and swallowing it down. It was still so chewy and now they were soaked...”Why don't you have the rest,” he offered, standing up, “I'm sure you’ll enjoy it more.” There was a distinct look of disappointment on the man’s face...oh well.

 

“Fine, fine,” Jamison sighed, pouting before taking a sip, “don't see how you don't find it delicious, mate!”

 

“It’s a difference of opinions,” Mako defended himself, putting away the rest of the groceries that had been left out to sit while Jamison prepared the boba and they took their break to eat lunch.

 

“Well your ‘opinion’ stinks!” Jamison childishly chided, sticking out his tongue. “You’ve got a shit opinion, Mr. Grouchy...uh...meanie...” Jamison looked nearly cross-eyed as he stared ahead, mouth agape. His mind must have been working overdrive--”Say, mate, what is your name anyway?”

 

Mako’s heart sunk hard. Oh. He didn't remember his name. That...well, it hit hard, but Mako simply closed his eyes and sighed. “It’s Mako,” he answered, a little relieved as he saw the flicker of shame pass over the other’s face upon hearing.

 

“Right, right,” Jamison blinked, “Mako...Huh?!” Nuzzled in his good leg, he looked down and saw the needy house pig desperate for some scritches, which it received plenty. “Ah, good ol’ Poaka,” he chuckled, not seeming to notice the audible grunt of disdain coming from the other person in the room.

 

So he couldn't be bothered to know the name of the person whose home he was staying in, but he could remember the pig’s...Jamison caught him staring. Well, this time, he deserved it.

 

“Oh,” Scratching the back of his neck, the shorter man got up from his seat and started drinking the boba fast, “ya see, sometimes my memory’s not the best? I kinda learn bettah from experience than I do just like...straight up tellin’ me somethin’.”

 

“Do ya need me to punch it in?” Mako sat down and leaned his chin on his fist, eyes narrowing down on the other.  “Because that could be arranged.”

 

“That might work,” Jamison didn’t even seem phased one bit by the threat.  Mako decided to assume that this was most likely a very common occurrence.

 

“I'm not gonna punch ya,” Mako sighed, turning away and folding his arms, “just try and remember.”

 

“I do!” Jamison cried out indignantly. “I try really hard!! But I can't help it, my memory’s just fucked. Like...” A moment of hesitance from the other.  Then, he had their eyes meet again.  “My ex. He got me into smoking, yeah? Then when we broke up, I had ta stop ‘cause smokin’ reminded me of him.”

 

Considering how freely the other spoke of his angst over his father earlier, Mako was surprised about how Jamison actually had to take a moment to think over his ex.  Maybe they were freshly broken up...

 

New stories formed in Mako’s mind.  What if he’s here because he lost his home to his ex?  He never said whether he was a former boyfriend or husband, so it was entirely possible...

 

Mako’s stomach curled up in knots, turning his head.  Ah...Guess he really was trying.  He raised his thumb to his lip and rubbed it before grabbing the boba drink the other made from his hand and took another sip, still uncertain.  “I don’t get the appeal of eating your drink,” he mumbled, “but if you keep trying, guess I’ll try this too.”

 

Jamison had a really sweet smile.  Even with his wild, untamed hair and bushy eyebrows, the rest of his face seemed to go soft when he smiled that way.  Soft...Maybe being this long without company had done that to him.

 

“So, ah, Mako,” Jamison put emphasis on the man’s name, leaning in and watching as Mako continued to slowly sip the drink, “you’ve gotta really nice place here, don’t ya?”

 

Small talk already?  The homeowner couldn’t help but crack a smile.  “Yeah, I guess I do,” he replied, looking around and watching how the light from outside illuminated the dust floating in the air of the kitchen.  Tomorrow would be a good day for doing some cleaning...

 

“You always live here alone?”

 

Prying little shit...Mako took a deep breath and forced himself to not send his glower right at Jamison, instead keeping himself intently interested on the grains of the wood floor.  “No,” he answered bluntly, “don’t ask about the past.  I live here, you live here, that’s it.”

 

There was the shuffle of a dead leg on the floor, followed by an intense silence only broken by the sound of a deep breath.

 

“You...You got any tattoos, mate?”

 

Ah, that was better.  Mako lifted his gaze and noted that the other had a rather cool skull tattoo on his right shoulder.  Of course, cool in the edgy teenager sense.  “Yeah,” Mako mumbled, sitting back and patting his stomach, “right here.  Ya sure you wanna see me with my shirt off though?”

 

There was still a tense sting in the air from the larger man’s atmosphere crushing earlier, but Jamison seemed ready to move on to lighter conversation.  Which was fine by Mako, really, he disliked that heaviness settling in already, though he did miss the brief quiet.  Jamison seemed to loathe it.

 

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with showin’ off your belly!” The shorter man laughed, kicking his legs and seeming to fill every particle in the space between them with sound.  “Especially when you’ve gotta have a huge canvas for a wicked tat!” Well.  That was true.  It was a rare occasion when someone mentioned his size and he wasn’t met with disgust or gawking at how he was able to live.  Though could what he said be really considered a compliment?  He supposed the answer could only really be seen when he was bare chested.  And so, Mako began to unbutton his hawaiian shirt, eyes lowered as he focused on the task at hand.

 

He wondered if that ol’ bike of his was still running, after all these years...it would definitely need a battery jump, but something about this moment, showing off what no one had really taken notice of in a long time, it brought about a bout of nostalgia.  Rarely did he have good nostalgia these days.

 

“Hog Wild?” Jamison slowly spoke aloud, eyes flicking between Mako’s face and the tattoo on his belly of a cute pig face in the middle of motorcycle exhaust pipes and flames, his belly button making its snout.  Very visibly, Jamison’s face grew red, as well as a wide smile. “That’s so ace, mate!” His good hand reached out as if to touch before his fingers twitched and pulled back.  Which was good, as Mako would have certainly stopped him if he’d gotten within an inch.  What the heck was with this guy?  This was the second time this day he caught the man attempting to touch him...what for?

 

“Glad ya think so,” Mako replied, leaning back and chuckling, “do ya know what’s the best part?  The eyes.” Prodding them with his fingers, he then pointed out a sun spot further up underneath his right pec.  “They’re sunspots that just so happened to form that way.”

 

“Woah,” Jamison awed, his hands continuing to nearly extend before retreating back and grabbing his own chin, “it’s like the hog chose ya or somethin’...”

 

“Guess it did,” Mako grabbed the buttons on his shirt and readied to button himself up again, when he saw the odd expression on Jamison’s face.  Well, odder.  He looked visibly confused as Mako started on the first button, the smaller man pursing his lips and turning his head down soon after.  “What?” Mako raised an eyebrow and coughed a little.  “Did you want me to go around hanging about?”

 

“Just a matter of comfort,” Jamison mumbled, crossing his legs and rubbing his prosthetic with his good leg, “if ya wanted ta go shirtless, I wouldn’t mind.  I know I’m comfy like this, thought you might be too.” His eyes flicked between the wall and the man before him, hands fiddling with the hem of his shorts.  Yeah, but comfort for who...?

 

Mako sighed and instead pulled his shirt clean off, watching as Jamison’s eyes widened.  “You asked,” he grunted, “so I guess going about the way I’m comfiest is the way to go.”

 

“Y-Yeah!” Jamison’s hands flung up in the air, nearly jumping out of his seat and letting out a gruff exclamation of discomfort as he landed on his prosthetic leg.  This kid was so weird. “So, why the bike stuff?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Ya decorated the hog with motorcycle stuff, didn’t you?”

 

“Oh, well,” Mako bit his lower lip and stood up from his seat, eyeing the door to the garage, “I used to ride one, back in the day.”

 

“No way,” Jamison’s red eyes--or, now that he thought about it, they were really like the embers of a fire, with the way they seemed to flicker back between orange and red--sparked with life, hands reaching out and for the first time, seeming to meet their target as he grasped Mako’s arm.  “Do ya still have one?  Can we see it, mate?”

 

Discomfort forced the older man’s face to scrunch up and bore holes into Jamison’s face until he finally let go, releasing a sigh of relief once he was freed.  “Yeah,” he answered, “but it hasn’t been run in years.  I doubt the battery’s lasted.”

 

“I could help get it back on the road,” Jamison piped up, his organic hand clenching and unclenching enthusiastically, “just show me where it is and I’ll try ta get her roight as rain.”

 

Did...Did Jamison just claim to be a bit of a mechanic?  That wasn’t a skill he was suspecting from him, though maybe the engineering in his arm inspired the lodger.  “It’s, uh,” Mako went over to the door they’d gone through before to bring the groceries in from his car, “just in here.  It’s got a sheet over it, so that’s why ya didn’t see it.”

 

Once in the musty air of the garage, Mako pulled the sheet off and instantly clasped two fingers around his nose, trying not to inhale too much of the disgusting dust.  That was going to sit in here for a while...

 

“Ooooh!”

 

That boy really had a diverse vocabulary for when it came to reactions to things he clearly liked, didn’t he?  Mako watched as Jamison’s fingers traced the lines and edges of the bike, kept mostly untouched by the white cover over it.  His good hand rested awhile on the large leather seat, where Mako remembered the longest he’d sat on that thing.  It was old, to be sure, but for while he used it, he kept it pretty well together.  Even still had the sidecar, matching the bike’s black and red paint job to a T.  Ah, how he used to like those edgy colors...what was he saying, he still did.

 

With the way Jamison was staring at the bike, however, eyes narrowed and fingers adjusting things here or there on its frame, it seemed as though he had a few ideas to make it better.  It would probably for the best if he let someone fresh take it over, wouldn’t it?  “I’ve got some tools around here,” Mako murmured, “the wall in the back of here should have some stuff, on the corkboard, whatever you need.  If you don’t like what’s here, we can always go back out and get something from the autoshop nearby, it’s run by a neighbor of mine.”

 

“Really?” Jamison’s eyes widened at the offer, mouth agape for a moment.  “Ya mean...You’d actually let me work on it?”

 

Hell...if he was really this excited about working on a project like this just from the mere mention of having the chance to work on the old bike, he really had no choice but to give up the ownership of his old hog to Jamsion. “Yeah,” Mako folded his arms and let out a grunt, “ya clearly have a few ideas running about in that noggin already, don’t ya?  Just remember one thing, and that’s that its name is Roadhog.”

 

The name seemed to strike a chord with the younger man, eyes nearly popping out of his head as he heard the incredibly cool name.  Well, they both seemed to be on the same mindset that it was.  “Oh, hell yeah!” Jamison jumped to his feet, catching Mako off guard.  The kid really liked to be hunched over, it seemed, so he tended to forget the smaller figure wasn’t really that short until he stood up straight like this.  “I definitely gotta gut it a bit first, just ta see if what’s in there’s workin’ the best.  Then I gotsta give it a fresh coat, I’m thinkin’ yellow could make it stand out, along wi’ some cool designs I got in me head!!”

 

He was practically bursting with energy.  He was shining so bright it hurt, and for a moment there, Mako thought the boy’s head was catching on fire, but it was probably just his eyes.   _ Those eyes _ .  Once he realized how flame like they were, it was now hard for him to look away.  They were simply just so full of life.  He caught himself midway through Jamison’s excited ramblings and stopped staring so hard, but it didn’t help him to not constantly look back at them.

 

It was in this concentration to not focus that Mako realized something.  Allowing Jamison to work up here on the bike was practically an invitation to coming upstairs every day.  With the other working on a project like this and generally having the shortest way back to his living quarters be through going inside the house, there were most likely going to be times when Mako would be making a meal and then suddenly Jamison would be popping out, leaving the larger man no choice but to be courteous and offer him something to eat as well.  If he was watching something on TV and at the same time the younger was taking a break, he’d probably join in to watch whatever it was.

 

Shit.   _ Shit _ .  This was exactly what he didn’t want this living arrangement to be.  Not when Jamison had already proved he’d be the type to ask all the revealing questions he could get away with just because he seemed to have a fascination with learning as much as he could about the man he couldn’t even be arsed to remember the name of.

 

And yet here he was, practically inviting Jamison to spend most of his time upstairs, all because he wanted to see the hog ride once more.  Taking a deep breath, Mako nodded his head and pulled away from the area, headed towards the door to the house, Jamison’s ramblings going quiet.  Thank goodness, his ear was practically falling off at this point.  “Sounds fun,” Mako murmured, “I’ll take ya out tomorrow, why don’t ya start writing down your plans?”

 

“Oh!” Jamison perked up right away, rushing after Mako, seemingly intent on going where he was going.  He really brought this upon himself, going ahead and giving an apartment away because he felt pity for once...”Sounds good!  I’ll put it all down in me sketchbook!” Once the door was opened, Jamison brushed past him and instantly down into the basement.  That was going to be a rarity, the larger man could tell that already.  Closing the door behind him, and the door Jamison left open to the downstairs, Mako took a deep breath and simply sat himself down on the couch next to Poaka, petting his head between his floppy brown ears lightly and remembering he hadn’t even checked on his little farm yet.

 

Ten years since there was any modicum of excitement in his life.  Mako still wasn’t sure if this was going to be really all that worth it, especially when he’d already had to spend money to satisfy the basic needs of his lodger.  All he knew was that if Jamison kept being this loud, his bedroom could finally be used for more than just sleeping for once--getting some God damn peace and quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the supportive comments!! I have more time to work on the fic now, it's just a manner of getting the ideas I want to convey out onto the page. Things are moving pretty slow, but there's gonna be a time jump next chapter (not too far, no, just about a few days), so I hope you'll stick around~! I really really _really_ love writing slow building relationships, so for the most part, that's what this is going to be, I hope that's fine by you, my lovely readers! There's gonna be a visit from a new character next chapter too, who could it be? ;o My hint is that they are also an engineer of some sorts~
> 
> Anyway, toodles!


	4. Doing All the Dirty Work

He couldn’t believe he’d gone and learned how to make milk tea with boba.  After just a few times observing his lodger make it, Mako had learned how to make Jamison’s favorite drink.  They really were living together, weren’t they?  Placing two glasses of the drink on a tray, he also grabbed a German ale and carried it to the garage as an impeccable guest pulled into the driveway in his truck.  Though, of course, Jamison’s radio was turned up so high he didn’t even notice.

 

“Hey,” Mako turned down the tunes and caught the younger man’s attention, wrench in hand and whacking his old bike with it, “Torbjörn’s here.”

 

Turning his head, Jamison saw the short man jump out of his truck mumbling a few curses, waving to him and jumping to his feet.  “Oi!” He cried out, catching the old man’s attention.  “Do ya got the extra parts?”

 

“Of course I do!” Torbjörn huffed.  “But you’ll have to come over here and help get them out of the back.” Dropping his wrench, Jamison jumped over, letting out a grunt of discomfort as he landed a little too hard onto his prosthetic leg.  Ah, he really was an enthusiastic little bugger, wasn’t he?

 

Mako placed the tray of drinks down and went over to help, only to see Jamison double--no,  _ triple _ stacking boxes of parts, while Torbjörn carried a small container of bolts.  As if the world was moving in slow motion, Jamison got about two feet forward before the boxes began to tumble over.

 

The face on Jamison’s face as Mako caught them was priceless.  His greasy cheeks grew bright red, covering the freckles on his cheeks, while his eyes were the size of dinner plates for a moment before flashing a glint of awe and wonder.  What, he’d only caught some boxes? “You’re welcome,” Mako grunted, bringing them over to the bike and setting them down separately.

 

“Fah,” Torbjörn made his way over and dropped his measly package, grabbing himself a seat on a chair in the garage, “ya should have done that sooner.  Thank goodness you caught them, though, those parts ain’t cheap!” Mako handed the short man the ale, receiving a warm smile in return.  Considering the amount of money they’d spent already ordering these things, Mako wasn’t too surprised at the fact that he was probably becoming the autoshop owner's favorite customer.

 

“I was doin’ fine carryin’ them on me own,” Jamison huffed, taking his milk tea and drinking it down, “but yeah, thanks fer bringin’ these over, T...Toblerone?”

 

As if hearing a bad joke for the millionth time (which, Mako decided, wasn’t probably far from the truth of the matter), Torbjörn rolled his head back and let out a loud and audibly annoyed moan.  “For the last time,” he groaned, “my name is Torbjörn!  It’s a Swedish name, I’m Swedish!!  Toblerone is a Swiss chocolate, and it isn’t even Swiss, it’s owned by Americans!!”

 

Jamison sat there and watched, sipping his milk tea as he stared at the older man and tilted his head, as if confused as to why he was so upset.  Even if Jamison was the reason he had to deal with even more company again, Mako could at least appreciate the way he alienated those same guests.

 

“So, how’s the progress?” Torbjörn sighed as he looked over at the bike. “For such an especially old model left to rot in this place, it looks surprisingly good.  Definitely in need of a touch up, but there’s such potential!”

 

Jamison finally let his lips leave the large straw with a pop, sending a weird sting to Mako’s senses.  “Oh, yeah,” the makeshift mechanic singsang, “it’s goin’ great!  Ol’ ‘hog’s got a rough exterior, but there’s definitely some raw power that ya don’t see in bikes these days.  Plus, ‘rat’s one of those sidecars that adds ta the appeal than take away considerin’ its classy design.”

 

Mako squinted and pulled away from his own drink, having taken perhaps two sips in total so far.  “‘Rat’?” He repeated the name the other spoke.

 

“Oh, roight,” Jamison pat the sidecar and grinned proudly, “Roadhog’s the bike, roight?  So then Junkrat’s the side car!”

 

“Junkrat,” Torbjörn let out an amused chuckle, “that’s cute.”

 

Mako tilted his head and squinted, chewing on a boba ball and swallowing it down.  “If you like it so much, why are you calling it trash?”

 

“Well,” Jamison shrugged, “I mean.  It kinda is now.  The right wheel won’t even turn and it’s so rusty all over, it looks like it’s been torched through flames or whatever.  Now obviously I can fix it, but it’s always kinda sentimental ta refer ta first impressions, don’t ya think?”

 

Looking at the old sidecar, Mako felt a chuckle escape his lips.  Jamison probably wouldn’t even remember any other name for it, wouldn’t he?  Not when he’d already gotten his name down.  “Guess so,” he let out a soft sigh, going back to slowly sipping his drink and halting anytime he had to chew a ball.

 

The three moved onto other small talk, discussing recent events, the dry weather lately, and what Jamison’s plans were for the bike as he worked on it, continually getting covered in grease and oil.  In fact, he was getting so dirty that by the time he had finished putting in the new parts, any time he tried to clean them off they would get dirty again from his touch.  Each man in the room could see that was the case, and it was clear that Jamison was just about ready to go clean up.  Not in his house, if the homeowner had anything to say about it.

 

“Okay,” Mako stood up, attempting to put presence over the man, “outside.  Now.  You’re getting a hose down.”

 

“What?” Jamison’s cheeks turned bright red, or, well, as red as they could be under the the grime.  “W-Whaddya mean?  I can just take a bath!!!” The lodger stood up and headed towards the door, only to be blocked by Mako’s body.  “Well ya want me clean, don’t ya?”

 

“Yeah,” Mako snorted, “but not when you’re gonna make the rest of my house a mess.  Go on.  Outside.”

 

“Oil stains aren’t easy to get out,” Torbjörn defended the homeowner’s side, his ale nearly empty already, “you best do it outside, and then touch up later when you won’t make a mess of the hardwood or carpet or whatever is the predominant flooring in his home.”

 

“B-But...” Jamison was searching for something, anything he could use so he wouldn’t have to admit defeat.  “Why do you gotta be the one ta hose me down?”

 

“I’m sure Torbjörn wouldn’t mind,” Mako shrugged, looking at the professional mechanic and catching a wry smirk from the other.

 

“FINE!” Jamison threw his hands up in the air, groaning and standing up as he kept his body as far apart from each other as he could.  “But...I-I gotta take off me leg an’ arm before we do, okay?  I can wash ‘em separately, or at least the leg...”

 

Ah, right.  Jamison’s arm wasn’t supposed to go in water for prolonged periods, and although his leg was made to withstand harsh weather conditions, it definitely wasn’t for swimming or getting completely soaked.

 

He probably didn’t want to be seen that vulnerable, didn’t he?  Mako took a deep breath and escorted him out back, offering a patch of grass to lie down on.  Getting on his knees, he prepared to take off his arm when Jamison pulled away and started to work.  “I can get it,” he murmured, “just, ah, put it somewhere far enough I guess.”

 

Mako watched as the younger man stripped himself of the pieces that helped keep him living a normal enough life, revealing nothing less than what was already there, just lacking an arm and a leg to fight with.  Pulling the limbs over to a corner of the house under the shade, Mako grabbed the hose and felt a bit bad, as the water temperature couldn’t be adjusted and would simply have to be one thing--near freezing.  “Sorry if it’s a bit of a shock,” he offered, holding out the hose, “are ya ready?”

 

“Yeah,” Jamison sat himself up, spreading his body out and with his head held high, “make it rain.”

 

Mako pulled the lever on the hose and snorted.  At least he was keeping a sense of humor about this.  He stopped as soon as he heard the other let out a string of loud curses, causing Torbjörn to look out from the other side of the kitchen window as he got another bottle of ale.  He must have found a stool or something in there, Mako assumed, considering the kitchen counter was at least up to halfway up his own stomach.

 

“Blimey!” Jamison caught his attention again, shivering as he curled up into himself, “that’s fuckin’ cold!”

 

“I warned ya, didn’t I?” Mako could hear hearty chuckles coming from behind him.  Was this really so funny?  However, as he turned his full attention towards the smaller man, he could understand.  Jamison looked like a drowned rat.  His white t-shirt he had knotted to make a crop top completely fell, revealing how baggy it was on his thin body.  His torn up shorts were also heavy on small legs, the muscle he really did have not withstanding the pressure of the cold and thus shrinking up slightly.  Not to mention his blonde, unevenly cut hair now fallen over his face...Allowing Mako to notice the black, crispy tips on most locks.

 

“I didn’t think it was gonna rain so heavy!” The lodger whined, trying to adjust himself on the ground.  “That’s gotta be enough, ain’t it?”

 

Mako simply adjusted the hose head so it would be more like a shower rather than a straight shoot, grunting as he pointed down.  “Still got some grime on ya,” he mumbled, “get ready.” A whine passed, and soon Jamison was under the cold force of the outdoor spray once more. “If ya rub it off, it’ll be over soon.” Hearing this, Jamison started frantically beating at his body where the splotches of black were, having trouble with only one hand.  As Mako watched, he felt a need to go over and help him, but then he had to remind himself that would require  _ touching _ and, well...that was certainly not going to happen, that was for sure.

 

Jamison was clean as could be, soon enough.  “Toss me my leg, won’t ya?” Jamison coughed through slightly wet lungs, groaning as he attempted to wipe his face in his wet shirt.  Once it was in arms reach, a lanky arm reached over and started to connect it to the base, groaning in relief as he was able to stand up once more.  “Much better,” he sighed, walking over to his mechanical arm and staring at it for a moment.  “It’s uh,” a giggle escaped him, barely turning his head to actually talk to anyone in particular, “gonna need a bit of a polish, I guess.”

 

“It’s not damaged, is it?” Mako walked over and noticed some of the stains on the machinery.

 

“No, no, just...”

 

“Do you want me to help you clean it?”

 

Jamison’s head snapped back up at the homeowner, face contorted as though he were about to snarl, but falling into defeat as their eyes met.  Without another word, Jamison slowly placed the arm in his care, his only hand grasping the stump where it would have connected.  “Fine,” he grumbled, “just get it back ta me as quick as possible.  I’m gonna get changed.”

 

As Jamison headed towards the door to the downstairs, Mako followed suit.  He hadn’t witnessed the other go down stairs in any other way without both arms guiding him.  Instead, he watched as the younger man guided himself with one hand on a railing and using his dead leg as a balance to move him forward very, very slowly.  Once at the bottom, Jamison looked back up to see Mako watching, sneering towards him. “I don’t see ya gettin’ pissed off that I’m walkin’ in yer house all wet like this.”

 

“Water dries,” Mako replied, receiving a gruff growl in reply as Jamison walked out of view, leaving the larger man to shut the door behind him.

 

One part of Mako wanted to call the kid a petulant child for his reactions to everything.  Another side knew painfully well the feeling of being in a position of near uselessness like that.  Placing a hand on his chest, he leaned against the wall and wheezed as he remembered what it was like to be unable to breathe in  _ that _ moment.

 

To think Jamison was going through feelings like that all the time...He’d have the arm cleaned as soon as possible.

 

(  - (OO) -  ) Z z z

 

He hadn’t even come upstairs to say goodbye to Torbjörn when he eventually left after lunch.  Once Mako had given him his arm, Jamison secluded himself to the downstairs for the rest of the night.  If it had been any other day, Mako would have just seen it as an opportunity to return to his status quo routine and enjoy a nice walk with Poaka, and though he did do that as well as check on his algae, as the clock ticked closer to six in the evening, he couldn’t help but grow concerned.

 

It seemed like as soon as Jamison moved in, he wanted to spend every waking moment with his landlord.  Not that that was what happened normally, no, Mako still got his space when he went into his bedroom, where Jamison wasn’t allowed.  The same was when he had to do work, and when he went on his walks.  But other than that and bathroom breaks, it felt like the kid was nearly in every facet of his life.

 

Tonight, however, he was alone. The light faded from the world, and Mako was left to his thoughts without interruption. He had forgotten how it felt to be left in this state of numbness. To have concern, to feel the slightest iota of concern for another human being again. Perhaps tomorrow he would come up and act like it never happened. Even if he did, though, would he still work on the bike? Would he even want to if it meant having to be put in such a helpless position? Sighing and clenching his fist, Mako could feel his restless spirit deciding to do something he  _ really _ didn't want to do. Well, he did, but only because his guilt demanded it of him. The selfish side that craved this loneliness forced his footsteps towards the basement door to be sluggish and heavy. Maybe hearing them would keep the other at bay...

 

Raising a fist, he brought it close to the door and took a deep breath. He reeled it back and then pressed forward into empty air, the door opening before he could even knock.

 

Jamison was staring at him as he stood there, blank and as confused as the other. Then, an open gleeful grin grew on his face, dazzling the man standing on the other side. “Wha--” Jamison bounced forward, clasping his hands together and jumping on his good leg. “Were ya goin’ ta visit me?! Aw, mate!”

 

“I just wanted ta check up on ya,” Mako quickly spoke up, turning his head and coughing, “considering how yer not really one ta stay by your lonesome.”

 

“Oh.” Jamison scratched the back of his neck and down to his back, snarling in an animal like manner. “I was, ah, adjustin’ ta gettin’ me arm back on. Plus some personal stuff.”

 

Mako reflexively winced at the idea of “personal stuff” and started looking his lodger over for signs of what he had in mind

 

The tips of his hair were darker and crispier looking than before.  Just as he was about to ask about them, however, Jamison barged his way inside the house and rushed towards the TV.

 

“Anyway!” He cried out, plopping on the couch and grabbing the remote.  “I wanted ta watch a show on your TV, no HD on the one below.  That’s a bloody crime!”

 

Grunting, Mako cautiously stepped closer and watched as Jamison flipped through the thousand channels of empty content.  “And what was it you wanted to watch?” He asked, wondering what show would need to be in high definition.  He would assume something on Animal Planet or Discovery, or maybe even National Geographic, what with all the spectacle of nature--

 

“Big Brother!!” Jamison giddily grinned as he landed on CBS, a woman on a stage being greeting everyone to the show being the first sight of this reality show he’d ever seen.  Of course, he knew what it was, seeing as how his doctor brought it up from time to time in reference to her daughter, who constantly watched it.  Staring at the screen, the crying and shouting that usually ensued in reality TV were all that he could see, only filmed in unflattering angles from fixed cameras.

 

“You have fun with that,” Mako shrugged, walking back from the screen and walking towards the kitchen across the room.  He wondered why he even wanted the company of that guy--

 

“Wait,” Jamison had turned himself around on the couch, grasping the back with both his hands and tilting his head, “didn’tcha wanna see me?”

 

_ For a moment _ , Mako thought to himself, running a hand through his hair and looking back at the smaller man.  “I was just checking up on ya,” he stated firmly, “I didn’t expect ya to just use my entertainment center for your trash programming.”

 

“But it’s good trash!!” At least he understood it wasn’t very good in some capacity.  “C’mooon, watch it with me!  I promise I’ll explain everything, it’s fun!”

 

He would have said no, but it was supper time, which meant he’d be in the same room anyway.  Plus, with Jamison here, that meant he’d be mooching food while he worked anyway.  Sighing tirelessly, he let his shoulders fall in defeat and step forward.  “Fine,” he grumbled, “but I’m gonna be cooking, so don’t expect me to be paying attention much, got it?”

 

Soon, the blonde was clumsily climbing over the couch and rushing over, limping as he did so until he crashed into the unmoving larger man, pushing himself back with hands that stayed pressed to Mako’s stomach.  “Then I’ll help ya!” He exclaimed.  “I’ll help ya so ya can pay attention, how’s that?  I’m pretty competent in the kitchen, or at least, ya give me a task and I’ll do it easily!”

 

Mako wondered if Jamison even  _ remembered _ what happened earlier in the day.  He had to have, it was an action, and that’s what the boy said he remembered the most, didn’t he?  Yet here he was, back to touching him and offering work again.  Maybe it wasn’t as big a deal to him...?  “If that’s what ya really wanna do,” he grunted, pushing Jamison back with a finger to his chest, “just...stay out of my way.  Alright?”

 

“Yeah,” the lodger’s smile remained unfaltered, as if unaffected by anything Mako did, “I gotcha!  Lemme go wash me hand!”

 

Mako watched as Jamison rushed to the sink, no difference in his expression as he let the water and soap wash on his skin.  Did he really remember...?

 

“Jamie,” Mako called the other’s name in a soft tone, eyes focused hard on him, “what’s my name?”

 

He was still.  Completely and utterly still.  The sound of breathing and running water across a surface were the only noises filling the room.  So he didn’t remember, it figured--

 

“Mako.”

 

Had the one who possessed the name kept going on in his thoughts, he would have missed the near whisper of his name, the tone unconfident and eyes glinting with concern.

 

“Is that it?  Mako?”

 

For some reason, the larger man felt his heart surge as he heard the way the usually ecstatic and confident man say his name in that quiet, questioning voice.  It was such a small thing, as small as the speaker’s stature.  And yet, there was a thrill that went down Mako’s spine.  He must have imagined that Jamison’s speech had been so gentle, he had to have.

 

How was he so weak to this?  He thought that his years alone had hardened him, but maybe, maybe...

 

Maybe it had just made him more susceptible to the tender cravings he kept locked inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your lovely comments!! I'm really happy so many of you are enjoying this, really, I'm just blown away by the way you guys are enjoying it~! Especially when my plans for this story are so domestic...Though I guess if you're the ones checking this thing daily (which is CRAZY to me, thank you so much if you do ;w;) that's what you're wanting, in't it ;v
> 
> Honestly, though, I -had- to fit Junkrat and Roadhog into this story somehow, I think I found a good use for their names. Any of you wanting more Poaka, don't worry, he'll have a little more of a spotlight in the next chapter~!
> 
> (This is also my first time ever writing Torbjörn, he was really fun!)


	5. Getting On the Map

The very next day, Jamison got back to work on Roadhog and Junkrat.  Not having to deal with the engine parts anymore, he instead got back to cleaning up and putting on the finishing touches, such as buffing out any bumps and eventually starting up the paint job.  All the while, Mako ensured the other was fueled with bubble tea and Flaming Hot Cheetos.

 

“It’s looking good,” Mako snorted as he looked at the yellow bike, noting that he liked the color just as much as its old theme, “you finished?”

 

“Nah, not yet,” Jamison wiped off his organic arm with a towel and grinned up at the other, taking a deep breath, “I got some stencils I wanna use!!  I packed some ta deck out my pad if ya let me, but I can use ‘em on ol’ ‘hog an’ ‘rat instead.”

 

Mako had noticed a pattern lately.  Whenever Jamison started dropping off syllables like crazy, it usually meant he was drained somewhat.  “Why don’t you take a break first?” The larger man suggested.  “I was going to take Poaka for a walk, so you can do whatever you want in the house, provided you don’t break anything.  Or touch my garden.”

 

The younger man’s face scrunched into one of perplexity.  “Aw, really?” Jamison shuffled his good foot behind him, biting his lower lip and flicking his eyes between Mako’s and the floor.  “I was thinkin’ I might join ya on the walk, actually.”

 

Hadn’t the homeowner made it plenty clear already that his walks were his alone time?  Well, yes, he had, but that clearly wasn’t going to stop Jamison from clinging to him like a needy pet.  No, eventually, the kid was going to ask to join him in his bedroom, wasn’t he?  Fuck, he needed to stop thinking that way.  Was it because that drongo wasn’t wearing a shirt today?

 

“Why?” Mako grunted, folding his arms and staring hard at Jamie.  Maybe a little intimidation was in order.

 

“I dunno,” Jamison replied fully honestly with a shrug, his posture seeming to shrink further into himself, “I just thought it’d be nice ta join ya is all.”

 

Could Mako really find no way of telling him to piss off?  Evidently not, because soon enough he was outside with Poaka attached to his leash by his harness and Jamison walking by his side on the wide, vast road.  Seeing as houses here had at least five acres of land here if not more, the neighborhood was mostly quiet and sparse all around of life, which was just how Mako preferred it.

 

“Oi!” Jamie stood up straight and leaned back as he stretched, looking just as as strange and wide-eyed as he did when he was crouched.  “Lovely day, ain’t it?”

 

“Mmhm,” Mako grunted and kept walking along, Poaka snorting for them to speed up.  Two hands reached out and kneeled down in front of the creature, causing him to squeal as his belly was rubbed by a metallic hand.  “What’re you doing?”

 

“What’s it look like?” Petting the pig until he started getting snorts, Jamison grinned and started tracing the brown spots on his pink skin.  “I ‘aven’t felt like I’ve gotten the chance ta give ‘im the lovin’ he wants in a while!”

 

Of course, that was probably because Jamison was so busy working lately, not to mention how he “helped” last night in making dinner.  That was when Mako remembered how the boy had stepped on Poaka’s hoof last night with his dead leg whilst carrying a pan, nearly dropping grease on the poor creature.  Ah, he probably still felt bad about it.  At the very least, Poaka was pretty nimble thanks to his smaller than average size.  Even though Mako got him understanding he definitely wasn’t a teacup pig, he was still the runt of the litter, and thus easier to roll over like Jamison was doing now.  Still, it took strength like Mako’s own to actually pick him up.

 

“He sure is a handsome pig,” Jamison murmured, nuzzling his nose softly against Poaka’s snout, “ya ever gave him his own Facebook page?”

 

Mako raised an eyebrow and eventually joined the blonde on the floor, sitting with his legs stretched out.  “Why would I do that?” He asked.  “Poaka doesn’t even have any friends outside of me and the occasional visitor.  And you, I guess.”

 

“Well then he needs one ta make friends!” Jamison gasped, turning Poaka back onto his belly and holding him close.  “It’s no fun bein’ a lonely pig!”

 

“Oh yeah?” Mako snorted and took out some spinach he packed, giving some to Poaka to munch on.  “How’s making ‘friends’ on the Internet going to make him any less lonely?”

 

“Internet friends are still friends,” there was an innocent tone to the way Jamison spoke that.  Innocent, but firm.  Like he’d had to say that over and over again.

 

“Even if that’s so,” the larger man sighed, “no matter how many friends you have, they ain’t really friends if you don’t talk to them.” Seriously, Poaka never really wore his loneliness if he did have any, he seemed pretty content all things considered with the life they shared together.

 

“Well maybe he ain’t talked because he don’t know how.” Jamison stood up from where he stopped to pet the pig, walking on ahead and leaving Mako to struggle to get to his feet.

 

With every step Mako took, it seemed Jamison was at least twice the amount of paces away.  It was like he was sprinting at this point, which was impressive to watch for sure, but it turned the walk from less of a relaxing stroll to a visual metaphor for the distance between the two.

 

“Jamie!” Mako cried out finally, the other seeming to be far, far away at this point.  Jamison stopped, but didn’t turn around.  Taking this as a hint, Mako continued to go forward, even though he was ready to turn around.  With every step closer, he thought he saw the other’s body quivering and a hand raise up to his face.  It almost looked like he was...No, he wasn’t--he wouldn’t be  _ crying, _ would he?  The hefty man hastened his footsteps, rushing forward.  “Jamie...”

 

“Yeah?” The blonde turned around, hand shielding his squinting eyes as he looked up at the other, sniffing.

 

He didn’t have any sign of tears, but that didn’t really do much to settle Mako’s nerves, really.  “How are you feeling?” He asked, shuffling slightly and Poaka rubbing his nose against Jamison’s good leg.  “I mean, I was thinking we should head back.”

 

Nodding, Jamison walked past him and grunting.  “Yeah,” he spoke again, “guess it’s about time.  Sun’s too fuckin’ bright today.”

 

Following suit, the other was going slower this time even though he seemed to be in a rush to get home.  “Guess that’s what happens when you live in a basement and garage,” Mako remarked, gaining a chuckle from the other.  Alright, so he hadn’t been crying, or at least, not that he knew of.  What with the way the other’s eyes were usually irritated, be it from lack of sleep or whatever it was Jamison did late at night, he couldn’t tell just from the sight of him.

 

The walk home was...eerily quiet.  To not hear the other’s shrill voice as they walked was odd, but as they neared the house, he could hear hard panting from the other.  Ah, perhaps they’d gone too far...Once inside, Jamison headed straight towards the kitchen, grabbing a soda from inside the refrigerator.

 

“That’s not going to hydrate you,” Mako warned, undoing Poaka’s harness and watching how the pig was nearly clinging to Jamison.  “You’re just going to get thirsty again from drinking that.”

 

Letting out an unsympathetic whine, Jamison leaned on the counter and continued to indulge in the soft drink, wearing a clearly grouchy expression.  “I don’t care!” He cried out, continuing to let out simpering noises.  “Water tastes like shit, lemme enjoy me liquid teethrot.”

 

At least he understood what it was.  With that, he couldn’t really find room to argue.  “Suit yourself,” Mako sighed, sitting down on a stool and staring directly at the boy, who averted his gaze in an instant.  Had he offended him in some manner or something?  Hearing little snorts from on the floor, he sat straight up and scratched the back of his neck.  “I never said you couldn’t give him a social media account, you know.  If you want to, go right ahead.”

 

A sharp gasp and the look on the boy’s face was all Mako needed to tell that he’d made the other ridiculously happy.  Well, at least it would give him another project.

 

“Do ya got any leather around here, mate?” The first thing the blonde asks for, and it’s leather.  Of course.  “I was thinkin’ of givin’ ‘im a cool biker look, whaddya think?”

 

Snacking on some baby carrots, Mako’s eyes looked up to the ceiling in a search for answers, placing down the bag in his hand and walking over towards his room.  Before he could shut the door, however, Jamison had already barged his way in.  Fantastic.

 

“Stuff ya might want is in the closet,” the larger man grunted in frustration, sitting on the bed and wondering why he bothered in any attempts to corral his excitable lodger, especially when he was so unwilling to touch him, “all the way to the right.”

 

As he watched Jamison continue to rummage through his things, Mako wondered just how far had he come from those old days where he’d actually give a shit if someone was touching his things and invading his privacy.  Now he was just tired.  Tired, and a little weak to the attention the other gave him.  Never thought the day would arrive...

 

“Oooooh!!” Jamison pulled it out--his old gas mask.  Back from his old Junker days.  Jamison also pulled out his old patch, which he planned to put on a jacket one day but couldn’t ever find the time.  Of course, by the time he did, he was already planning his trip out of the burning hellhole of his homeland.

 

Not that he didn’t miss it, but, well, he followed his happiness here a long time ago.  Now that happiness’s memory, along with nothing left for him back from where he was from, being the sole reasons he stayed.

 

“This is a top design!” Jamison grinned, looking back at the man lost in his thoughts.  “I can use it, yeah?  I’m sure I can trace it for ya if ya want!”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Mako sighed, growing tired already, “whatever.  Keep it for all I care, I don’t have any use for it.”

 

“Well then why do you have it?”

 

He always had a knack for asking too much, didn’t he?  Of course, now Mako had the dilemma of being both too tired to answer, and too tired to tell Jamison to fuck off properly.  “Does it matter?” He grunted, running a hand across his forehead and through his silver hair, grasping his ponytail with a hiss.  “Just do whatever the fuck you want, okay?  Just bring me back the gas mask, that’s the only thing worth a damn to me.”

 

Yeah, his harshness was just the right amount of bitter old man to get the other to finally shut up for a moment.  An awkward smile grew on the younger man’s face, and he was gone in an instant.  Like a ghost.  Not with the door shut, of course, but Mako could get off his fat ass to fix that.  Besides, he had to check up on how much Jamison fucked up his closet.

 

He needed a nap.

 

ヽ(  ʘ (OO) ʘ  )ノ ѕqυєαℓ!

 

It had been a long time since Mako let his guilt be the reason his sleep was so shit.  Once he let his mind rest and think about all things he said and did, the way he treated someone who, for all intents and purposes, was just excited to have something nice to do for  _ him. _  Jamison was doing it for him, wasn’t he?  Trying to get close, just wanting to be a pal.  Mako had made it clear in his mind that he didn’t want to be friends with anyone, but he couldn’t expect anyone to read his mind, no...

 

Not even his intimidation tactics worked on the kid.  Of course the two were going to be friends, eventually, at least.  He just wished that he had more of a say about it.

 

Getting up from his bed, Mako looked at his tiny phone (well, tiny in his hands) and saw the clock read it was nearly ten in the evening.  Swearing under his breath, he left his room and into an empty house.  Empty, except for the light coming from downstairs through an open door.  Scrunching his nose, Mako nearly stepped on a sleeping Poaka until he noted the creature was there.

 

“Huh, what?” Staring at his pet, he kneeled down and pat the soft pig’s spotted head and squinted.  “Jamie’s not one to shut doors, why aren’t you with him?”  Poaka didn’t respond, of course, but he did seem to look towards the basement as a faint noise was heard, instantly curling back up in his bed.  What had Jamison been doing to make even Poaka stay away...?

 

Slowly descending the steps, Mako made his footsteps as quiet as possible.  Something wasn’t right, and he’d been afraid it might not have been since...well, yesterday he supposed.  Or maybe everything was alright, and he was just paranoid.  As he reached the lower floor, he heard some intense drum‘n’bass coming from the man’s room, the sight of smoke wafting out, and the smell of something...indescribable burning.  Oh no.  Quickening his pace, Mako grasped the door jam and spotted Jamison on the floor, lighter in hand, and the tips of his hair on fire.

 

The blonde’s eyes widened as he finally heard breathing that wasn’t his own, staring up at Mako and shutting his lighter fast.  “M-Mate,” he laughed, a breathless, noiseless laugh, “I-I thought you was asleep--”

 

Mako’s hand slammed down on Jamison’s head without a second thought, biting the insides of his cheeks to quell the slight pain he felt despite the callouses on his palm that snuffed out the flames.  Once he could feel no flames, he gently let his hand softly pet the other, shuddering as he gave the affectionate touch for the first time in ages to another human being.

 

“I-I’m sorry,” Jamie lifted his hand and bit it hard, eyes glued to the floor, “I was just, uh, doin’ the one thing that don’t hurt too much--”

 

“Give me the lighter.”

 

Jamison’s head snapped up and he shook it, pulling away finally with a shove from both of his hands to Mako’s.  They were really so tiny...

 

“Can’t,” he mumbled, “i-it’s Jesse’s.”

 

“Who?”

 

“My ex.”

 

“Oh.” Mako was sat on the floor next to Jamison at this point.  Staring at the lighter with the insignia of a skull with a star in the place of the right eye, he couldn’t help but wonder just what kind of guy this Jesse was.  “I guess that explains the hair tips.”

 

“Yeah.” Jamison’s voice was cracked and broken, the distance between them feeling far wider than what it physically was.  “Um...Why’d you put ‘em out?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Me flames...why’d you just...Oh, was it ‘cause ya thought I’d burn yer house down?” The smaller man sent a glare to Mako’s hand and clenching the lighter even tighter.  “I’ll do it outside from now on if that’ll make ya feel better.”

 

“I’d feel better if you didn’t burn yourself at all.”

 

That was what finally sent him off.  Jamison snarled and threw an organic fist at Mako, and once he noticed it had barely any effect on the other, he threw out a bionic one as well, to a similar satisfaction.  In that, not at all.  Instead, Mako simply smirked and let out a chuckle, catching Jamison off guard more than when he was caught lighting himself.

 

“Now I guess you know what it feels like when you ask about my past,” Mako noted, eyes set forward as he let himself remain in his thoughts, “am I right?”

 

Jamison folded his arms and huffed, pouting his lower lip and his neck twitching a bit.  “I guess,” he mumbled, “ya ‘aven’t actually punched me though, so it can’t be completely the same.”

 

“Oh, trust me,” Mako laughed once more, surprised even at himself, “I’ve thought about punching you plenty of times, even threatened, remember?  But look...” He held out his hand in front of the other, first as an open palm, and then closed as a fist.  Jamison visibly gulped.  “One knock from this and your skinny frame would be grass.”

 

The smaller man sneered at the remark, before staring at the fist once more and looking as though he had to begrudgingly agree.  He confirmed this by reaching out with both of his own hands and touching Mako’s rugged fingers, noting how large they were with his eyes pinned to them.  “Shoulda known you’d never let any harm come ta me,” Jamison let out a weak giggle, bringing Mako a bit of ease as he heard the normally annoying noise, “considerin’ these hands were practically made fer punchin’, eh, mate?”

 

“Once upon a time,” Mako answered, opening his hand and letting the other continue to explore the lines in the thick skin, “though I guess they kinda suck at being gentle, huh?”

 

Now that he thought about it, Jamison finally got to touch his hand, didn’t he?  Considering that moment back at the grocery store, he’d gone and let the boy have his chance.  Well, if his hands couldn’t be gentler, maybe he really was.  “I mean,” Jamison shrugged and scooted closer to Mako, the two practically side by side, “ya did fine by me, I think, considerin’ you was in a hurry ta save me an’ all.”

 

“Mm,” Mako hummed in his low timbre, “that’s true.” They sat in an odd silence for a while, Jamison now experimentally squeezing his hand.  “You having fun there?” Mako felt no guilt in breaking the lack of noise, for once craving a little more conversation.

 

“Eh?” Jamison seemed to note just how long he had been feeling Mako’s palm, pulling his hands away and shaking his head.  “N-Naw, just finished, actually.  So...” Coughing into his bionic fist, the smaller man shrugged and sat on his knuckles.  “So, uh, it’s pretty late.  You gonna stay here with me tonight or what?”

 

“The walk upstairs isn’t that far away,” Mako grunted, a chuckle escaping him against his will, “I think I can make it to my bedroom before crashing back to sleep.”

 

“What?!” Jamison stared hard up at him.  “You mean...you really was asleep that whole time?  You weren’t just ignorin’ me?!”

 

Ignoring...?  “I didn’t hear any knocking,” Mako defended, raising an eyebrow.  Hadn’t he had the shittiest sleep imaginable?  He couldn’t have fallen dead asleep...

 

Unless he was having  _ those _ types of “nightmares” again.

 

“I-I mean,” Jamison began to tap his working foot, turning his head, “I wanted ya ta see what photos I took of Poaka, an’ return yer mask too.  Oh, roight, I got it here for ya!” Just as he said that, he pulled the old thing from under his bed.  What else was he keeping there...?

 

“Okay,” Mako took it and stared back down at Jamison, watching how the man curled up just from the intensity of his gaze.  It wasn’t that strong, was it?  Hearing nothing else, he sighed and held out his hand again.  “May I see the photos?”

 

“Roight!  Roight, roight, roight...” Jamison sifted through his phone and gave it to Mako, which was just as small as his own.  “Just swipe to the roight,” he grinned, cheek pressed to the larger man’s beefy arm, “look at ‘im!!”

 

On the screen were images of Poaka, sitting on Roadhog and sometimes in Junkrat, wearing his gas mask in incredibly cute poses, his brown ears sticking out and looking like they blended in with the pig-shaped sculpt.  “Hah,” Mako handed the phone back to Jamison, leaning his head on his fist, “so have you started the Facebook page yet?”

 

“Well, no,” Jamison shrugged, looking back up at the man and then back at the phone, “I mean, that’s why I wanted ta see ya, roight?  Just ta make sure that ya weren’t gonna get pissed off at me again fer it.”

 

“I told you that you could though.”

 

“Yeah, but ya told me that when I’m pretty sure you were gonna snap me neck or whatever.” Jamison balled himself up once more, rubbing at his prosthetic leg hard, “I mean, I thought you was bein’ nice when ya said it then, but after ya yelled at me an’ all...”

 

Alright, Mako knew Jamison had a bad memory, but had he really yelled at the kid that harsh?  Sure, he swore, but was that enough to be considered really mean?  Taking a deep breath, Mako decided that it wasn’t worth defending himself.  After all, it was his own desire to be distant that made the other feel like this, or at least encouraged it.  “I’m sorry.”

 

“Whaddya sorry fer?” Jamison giggled, sounding so off after the way he’d dropped off before.  “Nah, I...I overreacted.  Probably.  Always do.  You’re the nicest person I’ve ever met.”

 

Mako’s heart sunk.  “You must not know a lot of people.”

 

“No, no, I’ve met plenty o’ people,” Jamison was leaning fully on him at this point, phone on the floor and eyes drifting.

 

“There’s better people out there than me,” Mako snorted, wiping a large finger across his nose, “common-folk, really.  There’s plenty of arseholes to be sure, but how can it be that you’ve never met someone who’s just decent?”

 

“Yer better than decent though,” Jamison turned his head up once more, eyes half-lidded and boney fingers grasping Mako’s thick arm, “yer a misfit.  Like me.  That’s why ya don’t gotta be sorry.  Ya yelled at me ta get me back in place, an’ that’s how it is wi’ guys like us.  Even if we don’t look much alike, we definitely got a lot in common.  Don’tcha think, mate?”

 

Blinking, Mako felt something old stir within him.  Something he thought he’d left back home.  That was when he got it.

 

He didn’t need to be gentle like he was gentle to  _ them. _

 

Jamison wasn’t some stick that could be bent in half like he looked like, oh no.  He might have been definitely fragile looking, but once Mako took a look into those strange eyes of his, he saw the fire that lay beneath.  He was constantly burning, threatening to lose control at any moment, really, but given the right direction, he could stay and smoke for a while.

 

“In all honesty, though,” Mako sighed, ignoring the question, “if I really cared about the idea of you burning my house down, I would have forced that lighter out of your hand.” Jamison flinched and kept his gaze locked on the man.  “But really, what’s the point of doing that?  You weren’t burning yourself, you were just on fire, but more than usual.”

 

The expression seemed to catch the blonde completely off guard, manic giggling leaving him as he took it in.  “Oh my God,” Jamison tried to catch his breath, laughing so hard that it could barely be heard and thus only squeaks breaking through, “that’s...that’s the corniest shite I think I’ve ever heard!”

 

Maybe making a joke out of someone else’s self-harm wasn’t all that appropriate, and Mako wasn’t too wild about it once it was said, but at least Jamison found it amusing.  Scarily so, even.  As the other began to cough, Mako rubbed and pat his back with his large hand, rubbing his thumb slowly down the other’s thin spine in order to coax him into an even breath.

 

“Ah, thanks mate,” Jamison coughed one last time and hopped backwards onto his bed, popping off his leg with tossing it to the floor, “I needed that.  Got me all tired an’ ready fer bed.  What about you?”

 

Standing up, Mako shoved his hands in his pockets and grunted in confusion.  “You still want me ta sleep with ya?” He asked, secretly adoring the way the other’s nearly always dirty face brightened with red as he blushed.

 

“N-Not like that, and you know it!” Jamison snarled, pushing himself back onto the bed with both his hands, mostly his bionic.  “I’m just...Nn, I’m just sayin’...whaddya still doin’ here if you ain’t gonna come be my pillow fer the night?!”

 

Mako desperately wanted to ask Jamison how did he  _ really _ feel.  “Good night, Jamie,” he said as he turned off the light to the man’s room, “I better not wake up to ashes, ya hear?”

 

“I hear ya loud an’ clear,” Jamison murmured sleepily, the sound of bed sheets shuffling all that Mako could make out in the darkness.  He probably wasn’t imagining the disappointment in the tired tone the other used.

 

Heading back upstairs, the commotion seemed to have caught the attention of his pot-bellied pig, who looked up at his master with a confused expression.  “Come on, Poaka,” he chuckled, the creature seeming to notice his oddly brighter nature that evening, “it’s really time for bed.”

 

Hanging up his gas mask back in the closet, he heard the sound of his pet finding the perfect spot to rest, landing on her spot as he always did.  Of course, he wouldn’t have known that.

 

If Jamison ever decided he wanted to crash here, he definitely wouldn’t know that, and that was probably for the best.  If things were even headed in that direction.  If the idea that they even could was just in Mako’s head, which they probably were.

 

“He’s trouble, Poaka,” Mako sighed as he stripped out of his clothes, grunting as he saw the marks the button on his shirt left on his skin since he made the grave error of napping in it, “nothing but trouble.  Makes me sick to me stomach, and even brings back that old accent, as I’m sure you can tell.  Even worse, I don’t think he’s going to leave anytime soon.  Guess that means I’ll have to learn to live with it somehow.” Here the silent man was talking to himself for the first time in a while.  He knew that there were other folks who coped with loneliness by chatting their own ear off--hell, Jamison was probably one of those people--but Mako enjoyed the quiet, and even the sound of his own voice seldom popped into his head except when he did his sudoko from time to time.  Not anymore.

 

Jamison had taught him how to talk, in a way, how to make him think his way through speech.  And here he was, talking to a pig and using it as a little therapy before he went to bed.  Maybe now that he’d patched things up and he’d done this, maybe he wouldn’t have to suffer those types of dreams again.

 

Maybe he could even wake up happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a ride to write. Also so far the hardest, which isn't good, because from now on it's gonna get even harder, I can tell. I hope you enjoy this chapter nonetheless and I hope you'll join me for the next ;v
> 
> ...Also sorry if there still wasn't enough Poaka for you guys ;w;
> 
> Btw, my tumblr is [plumaeria](http://plumaeria.tumblr.com/) if anyone wants to follow :L


	6. Put In Order

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -squints at all the slow burn comments in the last chapter-  
> I can't tell if you guys are being serious or making a really bad pun, but either way how dare u categorize what i write
> 
> jk my guys I love you all ;w; Thank you for reading, and hold on tight! Thiiis one's a long one.

Weeks passed since the man entered, and soon life with Jamie became the norm for Mako as much as his life alone previously had been.  In the morning, Mako would wake up to Jamison watching something on the couch while eating canned beans, usually a cartoon or any sort of DIY channel (which he’d proudly gotten the lodger into).  After working on his farm, Mako would offer to take Jamie on a walk, which he came for on some days and others stayed behind.  The ones with the man were always longer.  They’d eat together, share stories (within reason of their comforts), and usually end the day with one of their favorite films to finish the night with.

 

It’d been Jamie’s idea, of course, as most ideas turned out to be.  After he’d fully refurbished Roadhog and Junkrat, it turned out the kid didn’t have a motorcycle license or even knew how to drive one, so they’d have to wait for the day Mako felt comfortable enough to take ‘em out for a spin.  Of course meaning, the chances of that day arriving were slim.

 

“I’m surprised you went to so much work,” Mako grunted, placing a hand on the refurbished leather on the seat, “for something ya couldn’t even use.”

 

“Well, it was fun,” Jamie shrugged, sitting in Junkrat and looking up at the other, “are ya sure ya don’t want ta give it a go?”

 

“No,” Mako snorted, brushing his thumb against his nose as he sniffed, “God no.  It’s been way too long.” Before the basement had even been refurbished.  He had tried to take it for a ride after that day, but...He couldn’t bring himself to go onto the road again.

 

“Suit yerself,” the blonde got out of the sidecar and placed his hands on his hips, standing up straight.  Mako took this as a sign the other had something to say, and thus let their eyes meet.  “I wanna go ta the movies!”

 

The homeowner blinked at the declaration, wondering why Jamie would make it such a prominent statement before an old part of him realized exactly what was going on.  “Ya mean like a treat?” He dumbly clarified aloud, instinctively chewing the inside of his cheek.

 

Of course, he hadn’t just embarrassed himself.  The smaller man shrunk back up into that ball he was almost always in.  To the untrained eye, it would seem subservient, but Mako knew well enough now that it was when he condensed his frame that Jamie was really ready for a fight.  Or at least, to defend his point.

 

“I mean,” Jamie’s hands raised above his head slightly, eyes averted, “fer both of us!  We don’t get outta the house much ‘cept ta shop an’ go fer walks, roight?  So why not do somethin’ fun?”

 

Scrunching his brow in thought, Mako thought about the past few weeks and realized that Jamie was right.  The two had literally stayed in condensed living conditions for a month nearly side by side.  Considering the two worked at home on top of that, they really hadn’t even seen that many other people outside the visits from Torbjörn, of which there’d only been two.  But why did he want him to join along?  Especially if he was sick of being with him and  _ only _ him?

 

“Alright,” Mako grunted, opting to ignore those last thoughts, “what did ya want ta see?”

 

“I dunno,” Jamie made his way into the house from the garage, once more leaving Mako to shut it behind him, “let’s look somethin’ up!”

 

The two sat on the stools at the wood countertop island in Mako’s kitchen, hunched over to look at Jamie’s small phone.  It wasn’t that small, really, but to the large homeowner, it seemed like everything was so tiny.  Even his Poaka, a runt who weighed less than most pigs, was still too heavy for most normal people to lift, yet easy enough for him.  Speaking of his little hog, while Jamie continued to bite his hand as he sifted through the films playing nearby, Mako looked over and watched as the creature was eating his lunch outside.  “Good boy,” he murmured, hearing a squeak from below.  “Hm?”

 

“W-What ya say, mate?!” Jamie stared up at Mako, eyes wider than normal with his bushy eyebrows raised, his cheeks a furiously dark red.

 

“Talking ta Poaka,” the larger man explained, nodding towards the pig outside.  He chose to ignore any other implications of what he said.

 

“Oh.” Jamie bit his lower lip and shoved his phone into Mako’s hands, covering his face with his boney hands.  “I-I found a drive-in near here.  They’re showin’ an Evil Dead series triple feature tomorrow.”

 

“Even the first?” Mako stared at the listings before suddenly realizing what he’d said.  Drive-in--

 

“HAH!” Jamie slapped Mako’s back surprisingly hard, his grin having returned to his face and blush (that’s what it had been about, hadn’t it?) completely gone.  “I knew a guy with taste like ya knew what I’d be talkin’ about~!  I can’t tell ya how many folks I’d met that don’t know quality entertainment, but you’ve got it in spades!”

 

He didn’t think those films were that obscure, not compared to other films Mako knew of...but then, of course, Jamie was much younger than him, so really, who knew better about the youth than the kid?  Though there was one part of all this that bothered him...

 

“Are you sure you wanna go to a drive-in?” Mako coughed into his fist, his gaze seemingly finding his pig very interesting at the moment.  “We’d still have to stay cramped inside a car.  Alone.  Just the two of us.”  He shut himself up with a bite of his cheeks.   _ Settle on down, old man, _ he thought to himself,  _ you’re the same age as the kid’s dad _ .  Why the hell did he keep forgetting that?

 

Even though he’d stopped talking, the awkward atmosphere he had wanted to prevent was still there.  With a sigh, Mako finally let himself look down at the other, watching as the blonde scratched at the back of his neck and bit his lower lip.

 

“I mean,” Jamie’s neck twitched slightly, “if ya don’t wanna go, just say so mate.”

 

“It’s not that I don’t want to go,” Mako defended himself, folding his arms, “but, well, I have to assume you’re not totally friendless.  Are ya sure you don’t want anyone joining us?”

 

Jamie stared at him like a deer in headlights, his usually almost always shivering body completely still.  So much so, that Mako was caught off guard by the way Jamie flung his hand in front, grabbing his cell phone from Mako and furiously typing something on the screen.  Ah, so maybe he did have someone in mind?

 

“I do,” the lodger finally grumbled out in response, “but, like, we haven’t met in person in years.  Plus he lives like three hours away, so he’ll probably say n--”

 

A text-tone came from the cell and forced Jamie’s mouth shut.  As in, he bit his lip and put it face down next to him, organic and bionic hands clamping together in between his thighs.

 

“He said yeah,” the blonde blurted out, looking like he was about to explode, hands grasping his knees both organic and artificial tightly.  He was even shivering more than usual.  Was he really that upset about receiving positive confirmation on an outing request?

 

“I never said you had to invite anyone,” Mako groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, “if you really don’t want him, you can just cancel.”

 

“Well now I can’t!!” Jamie snarled, grasping his seat and kicking his foot and prosthetic.  “Ya already made me feel like I had ta have someone else, an’ he said yes, so I can’t just cancel like that!!”

 

Kids these days...Jamie was definitely just that.  So anxious over something so small.  What the hell was the matter with cancelling?  Mako did it all the time.  Regardless, at least the visit to the outside world wasn’t just going to be a continuation of Jamie wasting all his time with a miserable old fart, that was what was most important.  Now he got to drag his friends into it.

 

“Oh well,” Mako shrugged, “why don’t you keep texting, get meet-up plans in order or what not.  My car’s pretty big, we should all fit comfortably in it for a long period of time.” Though he would be lying if he said he wasn’t uncomfortable with the idea of driving three people over a long distance again, especially at night.  He’d have to live with it.

 

Another text-tone, another oddly priceless expression on Jamie’s face.  “Um, mate,” he giggled nervously, “he, uh...he wants to know if he can invite his girlfriend.”

 

d( ・ (OO)  -  )θ～♪♪♪

 

Jamie had done it.  He’d finally done it.  He’d finally found someone louder than him.  Mako really didn’t need this kind of stress in his life.

 

“WOO!” The short man dove into his house, heelys spinning him around until he was facing the homeowner once more.  “This place is bumping, man!”

 

“I’m...glad you think so?” Mako knew he was out of touch, that was just how he usually was, but he honestly had no idea what bumping met.  He at least hoped that, for someone visiting a house for the first time, it was a positive expression.  Clearing his throat, Mako held out a large hand.  “I’m Mako.  Pleasure to meet ya.”

 

“Hello, hello!” The young man replied as he shook his hand with a limp grasp. “Lúcio here, and this is my girl, Hana.”

 

“I’m nobody’s girl,” said young lady scoffed, taking a sip of Mountain Dew and wrapping her arms around Lúcio’s neck from behind, making it obvious that she was clearly a head taller than him, “but I guess I’m pretty happy to be with you.”

 

The two were a cute pair.  Insufferably cute, even.  As the four piled up in Mako’s Jeep, he adjusted his rearview mirror and noted that Lúcio wore a frog pendant around his neck while Hana had a bunny in the same style.  “What’re those?” He asked, not understanding why the three young people were snickering so much.

 

“Ah, just our tags, ya know?” Lúcio held out his frog with a thumb wrapped in the chain, nuzzling up with Hana in the back.  Mako would have to make sure they didn’t act on the fact that they were at a drive-in.  “I’m a frog, Hana’s a bun, Jamie’s a rat!”

 

“An’ Mako here’s a hog!” Jamie was practically sitting backwards in his seat, pointing his bionic thumb at the driver.  “You lot should see the tat this fella’s got on his belly!”

 

Grasping the steering wheel tight with one hand, Mako didn’t even need to look as he pushed Jamie down into his seat and made sure his seatbelt was on tight.  “Everyone sit down,” he grunted, “this is gonna be a long drive.”

 

“Not much longer than it took to get here,” Lúcio chuckled, “besides, we gotta split who’s paying for what.”

 

“I call tickets,” Mako snorted, chuckling as he heard a round of whines in the car as he pulled out of the driveway, making sure the garage was shut before hitting the road.

 

“Damn it,” Lúcio sighed, “well, I call popcorn then.”

 

“What?!” Hana huffed and loosely slapped her boyfriend’s arm, earning a cheeky grin from him as she huffed and fell back.  “You know how much nachos cost.  AND my large soda fountain cup.”

 

“Hey, at least it’s free re-fills,” Jamie shrugged, “in fact, I’ll go ahead and call drinks.”

 

“That leaves you the rest, babe,” Lúcio kissed away the angry glare he got. “What?  We got nearly equal pay, girl!  Hell, before we collabed you were making more than me on your channel!”

 

It was honestly cringe-worthy how much those two were when they weren’t being disgustingly adorable.  Though the word channel piqued his interest.  “You two make videos?” Mako asked, catching the quarrelling lovers attention.

 

“Aw yeah!” Lúcio grinned, wrapping his arm around Hana’s waist and the tension between them gone in an instant.  “Star-crossed lovers, you might say even~!”

 

“He’s famous on Youtube,” Hana explained, “he makes like, God-tier level music.  I discovered his first album while I was looking for something to help me concentrate while playing on my channel and it turned out he was already a fan of mine on Twitch!”

 

“We’re known best on competing sites,” Lúcio wistfully spoke, “we’re the Romeo and Juliet of the Internet.”

 

“Except without the dying,” Hana corrected with an index fingers to her boyfriend’s nose, “and both my parents love you!”

 

“Just like I love you,” the DJ cooed, the two practically flooding the car with their icky, gooey, lovey-doveyness.

 

“Yeah, well, that was a given, ain’t it?” The two shared sickeningly sweet grins and a kiss that caused Mako to thank his lucky stars that he was driving so he could focus on the road instead of averting his gaze on the lovers.

 

Jamie, the smart one in this situation, was evidently already off in La-La land, his ember-like eyes glazed over as he stared off into the distance.  It was a shame Mako didn’t have that luxury.

 

“Hey,” Lúcio tapped the driver’s shoulder, “got an aux cord?”

 

Before Mako could reach for it, Jamie tossed it back from his seat, head turned towards the window and remaining silent.  It didn’t seem to phase Lúcio all that much, but that was probably because the two mostly texted as their form of communication, from what Mako could piece together at least.

 

Soon, soft beats were heard from the stereo, followed by airy strings and brass, overlaid by wisps of voices both loud and soft.  It was rather invigorating, much different from what Mako usually listened to, but nonetheless somehow inspirational.  He felt his back suddenly arch upright, his eyes grow focused, and his heart pump hard.

 

“How’s that?” He could tell without even looking that Lúcio was beaming from ear to ear.  “It’s my next track.  Gets the blood going, right?”

 

Swallowing slowly, Mako licked chapped lips and nodded, unsure of what to actually say about what he felt.  This was...This was how he felt anytime he rode the ol’ hog.  He felt alive.

 

One of his thumbs mashed down on the window control panel, shoving all of the windows down in the vehicle.  He quickly pushed the one next to Hana back up after she let out a shriek at her hair getting messy in the wind.  Lúcio, of course, laughed.  “Someone’s getting into it!” As much as Mako hated to admit it, the kid was right.

 

“You two ain’t ever seen these movies, roight?” Jamie finally piped up, arms crossed and looking back at the two.  He was smiling, at least.

 

“No,” Hana hesitantly replied, leaning on her boyfriend a little, “I don’t like scary movies.  Neither does Lúcio, so that’s why he wanted me to join.”

 

“What?!” Even in the rear-view mirror, Mako could see that the kid was blushing due to Jamie’s snickering.  “Give it a rest.  All I’m saying is that it’d be really awkward when I’d start clinging to someone for safety, at the very least I can leave that role to my girlfriend who’s more than happy to be hugged.”

 

“I doubt you’d be screamin’ that much, mate,” Jamie chuckled, “they’se those films that make ya go from AHH!! To HAH!”

 

Ah, it seemed like the blonde would not be one to lose his title as the loudest person in existence just yet.  It was a shame he was already too far behind at this point, especially when the other was a musician and rolled around in heelys.  If he started carrying around a portable speaker system that played his music wherever he went, Jamie would be forced to forfeit.

 

The rest of the car ride was about what Mako expected, what with the three young folks crying out happily as they talked about inanities, such as Hana’s new score in Starcraft that reclaimed her spot as number one, Lúcio’s next DJ gig, and the random bruises the two had on their bodies that Jamie couldn’t help but point out.  Had Mako not been driving, he probably would have joined in on that last one, despite it being so childish to do so.

 

Once at the entrance to the drive-in, there was already a line of cars waiting to get in.  Nothing substantial, Mako thought to himself, and nothing like the kind he had to suffer through in his youth.  Events like this were really the only way places like this made any money these days, and he had to admit, he admired it as a tactic.  Now if only he could use nostalgia to sell his medicinal algae somehow...

 

After paying for the tickets as he promised he would, Mako suffered through three backseat drivers until he found the perfect spot that kept the screen in perfect view of his large windshield so everyone could watch comfortably.  “Well,” he coughed, “I’m gonna go ahead and switch to the screen’s station.”

 

“Eh?!” Hana blinked and tilted her head.  “Wait, there’s no speakers that are gonna play what’s on the screen?”

 

“Nah, that ain’t how it works at these retro places,” Lúcio replied as he removed the aux cord from his phone, “we’re outside, but we’re also in cars.  So, the audio for the film is played over radio waves instead!  That’s why we’re kinda like, in the middle of nowhere, and there’s all the overhead lines.”  Soon after the cord was removed, Mako found the station, and smooth jazz filled the car.  “Hey, this ain’t bad!”

 

Watching the two in the back discuss the inner workings of a drive-in, Mako sat back in his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose.  He knew he was old, but he didn’t think that drive-ins were THAT old of a concept.  He mentally thanked his lucky stars that at least Jamie gave him the feeling of being young rather than what those two did to his brain.

 

“Come on,” Hana opened up her door, “let’s get everything before the film starts!”

 

“Calm down, it’s only twenty minutes until it starts,” Lúcio’s voice grew muffled as he exited the vehicle.

 

“Not fer nothin’, mates,” Jamie crossed around the front of Mako’s car, “but I do see a line about the size of the movie screen.”

 

“Don’t worry,” Mako spoke through the open window, “it’ll start off with shorts before the actual movie starts, promise.”

 

“Even worse!!” Hana cried, her voice fading as she ran through the maze of cars.  “I gotta watch my toons!!!”

 

Just like that, Mako was alone again.  But this time, in a place he didn’t expect to be in at all.  At least the music wasn’t some insufferable pop mix.  His phone buzzed and on the woefully tiny screen was a message from Jamie.

 

“wot u want m8 :0c”

 

Ah, right, he hadn’t disclosed his order.  Clearing his throat for some reason, he tried his best to type on the screen with his huge thumbs, a very delicate process not built for someone like him.

 

“Jusdt coke and ppopcorm”

 

It was only texting, it didn’t need to be perfect spelling or syntax.  Though, Mako could hardly think that was an excuse for Jamie considering how boney his fingers were.  Well, on one hand at least.  Though his bionic hand was so fluid in its motions and were just about as slender as his organic one.  The black nail polish on that hand, however, was really so damn kitschy.  Which he supposed was perfect someone like Jamie, a rather nice figure adorned with terrible features like a burnt up hair cut and...Well, his limbs weren’t terrible, they were part of him.  He instantly squelched any thoughts that Jamie had any part of his physical being that wasn’t attractive.

 

Once more, he reminded himself that the kid was twenty-five.  What the hell was someone his age doing even thinking about his lodger as anything more than that--a roommate.  Someone bringing in a little extra cash.  Someone who repaired his old bike...Something he thought could never work again, but was now fully functioning.  Something Jamie did for him, but why?  Why the hell did the kid think of him so kindly?  Why did he act like they were friends?  He really couldn’t understand it, and frankly, the more he did, the more his little fantasies grew, so he didn’t really want to.  That didn’t stop his mind, of course.  Maybe Jamie really did see them as friends, as much as he hated to think about someone that young wanting to be near someone so old and bitter.  Though, it did still bother him a little, the way Jamie looked like he was about to throw a temper tantrum when Mako suggested he invite a friend along.  Really, why on earth would he want to be alone with the homeowner watching old campy horror flicks in a drive-in?

 

Mako could think of plenty of reasons he himself would do that, but no way in hell did any of those apply to Jamie.  No way, no way, no way.

 

Screaming and loud talking neared the car, the voices all too familiar.  Turning his head, Mako’s thoughts were gone in a flash as he saw just how much food they bought.  Well.  At least they wouldn’t have to take trips between films.

 

“Just so you know,” Mako broke through their inanities, “these are three films with ten minute intermissions.  The earliest we might make it home is two AM.” And that was only because the darker hours of the year meant they could start the triple feature at 6:30 rather than wait until much later.

 

“Woah, really?” Lúcio looked back at Hana, then Jamie, then back at Mako.  “Uh, if that’s the case, do you mind if we crash at your pad tonight?  I dunno how I feel about driving that long that late back home.”

 

That was really why Mako brought it up.  Of course, he didn’t mind, but it was up to Jamie to give permission for just where they were going to “crash” as it were.

 

“So then, you guys can stay in my bed!” Jamie’s cheeks were pink as he sipped on his soda as soon as he spoke, handing Mako’s coke over to the man right after.  Good, everything was settled.  The couple would go ahead and sleep in Jamie’s bed.

 

And Jamie would sleep on his couch upstairs.

 

/)(((  ʘ  (OO)   ʘ )))(\

 

Evidently, even with all the cheesy and homemade effects, not to mention the ridiculous amount of gore that pretty much removed all threat of it being real at all, Lúcio and Hana still found plenty to scream at.  Even when Jamie and Mako were laughing their asses off at the amount of blood pouring from the walls and cheering as Ash slowly became less of a wimp and into a full blown badass, the two in the back were clinging for each other and ducking behind the driver and passenger seats quite often.  Eh, at least they weren’t using it as a chance to feel each other up.  That was for the car next to them, which seemed to have Jamie’s attention quite often during the slower parts of the film.

 

Once the second in the trio was over (the best of the films), Jamie stretched his arms over his head and stepped out of the car.  “I’m gonna go hit the men's room,” he announced, barely looking at anyone in the car.

 

“Oh, I’ll join you!” Hana cried out, rolling her eyes at the looks the other two left in the car were giving her.  “What?  We just gotta have a little GT.  That stands for Gremlin Talk~!” Linking arms with Jamie, the two were soon out of sight in the sea of vehicles.

 

“Man,” Lúcio leaned back in his seat, rubbing one of his eyes, “all that screaming’s kinda left me tired.”  Mako couldn’t help but think that was some sort of feat, what with the way he yelled so much already.  “Hey, can I ask you something, pops?”

 

Pops?  Well...at least it was fitting.  In a way.  It would have fit more once upon a time but that didn’t matter.  “What is it?”

 

“Uh, how old are you?”

 

“Forty-eight.”

 

“Daaaamn.  Ten years older than the last one!”

 

Last one?  Wait...Did he...”Who’s the last one?” Biting the inside of his cheek, Mako prepared his reaction to what he was certain was the answer...

 

“Oh, uh, Jamie’s ex, Jesse.  He tell you about him?”

 

Fuck.  Even with his prep, Mako couldn’t bring himself to say anything right away.  He licked his lips and grasped the steering wheel, taking a deep breath.  “Yeah,” he finally answered, “I know of him.  But we’re not like that.”

 

“Huh?!” Why did the kid sound genuinely surprised?  “Wait, so this isn’t--Oh, crap, sorry!  I thought from the way Jamie talked about you that he’d...”

 

“That he’d what?” Mako tried to bite back his bitterness, he really did, but it still seeped in nonetheless and the expression on the other was clear even through the rearview mirror.

 

“Nothin’, man,” Lúcio turned his head away.  He didn’t really have to explain this, did he?

 

“I’m his dad’s age,” Mako kept his eyes focused on the screen and the classic rock that the station had switched to.  At least it was more his style.

 

“Woah, really?” Lúcio leaned forward, arms wrapped around the passenger seat’s head.  “Man...well, he’s twenty-five, ya know.  At least he’s got the maturity to think about that kinda thing.  Not gonna lie, when we’re out in public like this, I do get kinda skeeved out by myself.  I just gotta remember, she asked me out.”

 

...What?  Mako scrunched his brow and looked back at the other and watching how he scratched the back of his neck.

 

“‘Cause, ah...I’m twenty-six.  And she’s nineteen.”

 

Oh.  Oh, that did make a difference, didn’t it?  Mako was going to shrug it off, but then, of course, Lúcio kept talking.

 

“Like...When I say we met when she shared my album on her stream, that was when she was fifteen.  And then, obviously, I was twenty-two, so, like, we kinda hit it off, but we did our best to keep it PG for a really long time.  But like, as soon as she turned eighteen, something happened and we like, hit full flirt mode.  I didn’t start it, she did, but like, every time I flirted back, I felt weird, because she was JUST legal and, like, that is kinda a scummy thing to do if you’re twenty-five, or like, above twenty-one in general.  But, uh, we didn’t actually get together until she was nineteen.  She said if she waited any longer, she was afraid I’d find someone else and stuff.  I mean, to be honest, I wasn’t ever wanting to get into a relationship until we started flirting, so, like...Man.  I’m REALLY looking forward to her twentieth birthday, you know what I’m saying?”

 

As much as he wanted to relate to the kid, Mako just couldn’t.  At least seven years meant they were around the same generation.  At least they were both technically still young and hung out in the same circles.  At least their ages could fit in the same decade bracket for a while.  He couldn’t really find any excuse for why someone nearly half his age would want anything to do with him.

 

“Ah, thanks for lettin’ me get that out, man,” Lúcio leaned back, letting out a sigh of relief, “I just...I love her, ya know?  I wanna be with her so bad, but like, fam, you know what it is with people being so quick to judge, right?”

 

Again, at least his reason couldn’t be eyeballed all that easily.  Both Mako and Jamie had people staring without caring that they were doing anything all that rude.  Still, he couldn’t help but think back to what he said first.  Jesse was ten years younger than him?  That’d mean he was thirty-eight, right?

 

Christ, maybe Jamie really did have a thing for older guys.

 

“I mean, to be fair, at least Hana’s only with a guy seven years older than her.  ‘Cause like, at her age, that was when Jamie and Jesse started dating.  And, like, lemme tell you, I don’t think Jesse cared one bit that their relationship was a bit of a MAJOR creep alert.”

 

Grasping the steering wheel tighter, Mako held back his need to cuss out the blonde that wasn’t there.  What the fuck.  What the actual fuck was he doing then?  He didn’t even know what Jamie was doing in his life that wasn’t before he was sixteen, which was the boy’s cutoff year in terms of story sharing.  Now he felt like he needed to know so badly.  He hated this.  What the hell was this kid even thinking, going after guys more than a decade older than him?  At nineteen, Mako thought, Jesse would have been thirty-two.  Yeah, definitely a scummy age-gap, there was no way that the relationship wasn’t gross--

 

“It’s kinda amazing, though,” Lúcio interrupted the old man’s thoughts, “they really made it work, for a while.  I even thought they were gonna make it until a year ago.  That’s when everything went to shit, then Jesse cheated on him with someone his age, and yeah, it was messy.  I wasn’t in L.A. at the time ‘cause I was on tour, so, like, I wanted really bad to help him move out, but apparently he got some outta a favor he did for this one guy who was like, really strong.  So, yeah, reason why I’m sayin’ all of this is that I think you’re like, a thousand percent more chill towards Jamie than that guy and I respect ya.  I mean, I respected Jesse at first, but, I dunno, I kinda already like you.”

 

Mako snorted and shook his head, looking out the window in an attempt to see the two.  How long was ten minutes really?  “It’s because I act more like a dad,” he grunted, “‘cause we’re definitely not anything more than friends.  Got it?”

 

“I mean,” Lúcio choked back on his words a bit and sat back, crossing his arms and averting his gaze, “I mean, sure, man.  Yeah, got it.”

 

As Mako chewed on the fat of his lip, he squinted as he looked towards the screen, which was ushering folks back to their seats for the final feature.  Since when did he consider him and his lodger friends?

 

“We’re back!” A feminine voice cried out, rushing into her seat with her boyfriend in the back.  “I got some Doritos if you want any!”

 

“Hana Song the Dorito Gremlin’s gonna share her Doritos?!” Lúcio let out a bubbly laugh as Hana nuzzled his nose.

 

“Only if you’ll be my Mountain Dew~!” She sang, seeming to be in high spirits, unlike Jamie, who although he was smiling, looked like he’d had all his energy sapped out of him.  In fact, his eyes were a little irritated looking, weren’t they?

 

His mind jumped from one thought to another as he remembered what Lúcio had said before.  Hana was nineteen?  Then...She was a year older than  _ she _ would have been.  His heart sunk in his chest and even as the film started, he couldn’t bring himself to really pay attention.

 

Instead of a fantasy horror comedy adventure on the screen, he only saw those old days.

 

For the last act of the triple feature, the kids in the back were the ones laughing, while the two in the front remained mostly unaffected by anything other than their thoughts.

 

♪♪♪～θ(  - (OO) -  ) Z z z

 

It was one AM exactly when they were on the road home, and everyone except the driver was asleep.  If it wasn’t for the music playing in the background, he probably would have had a harder time from keeping his eyelids open.  There weren’t that many cars on the road, and for most stretches, he couldn’t see that many headlights.  Even with the background noises of a soft melody and light snores, the night was silent.

 

Crossing through a city as they neared home, they stopped at a traffic light.  Even in this hour, the block was alive, neon lights illuminating the street.  As the light turned green, the safety of the world at that very moment made him forget that danger could come barrelling down at any second, ignoring the change in colors and instead cut through the red on their side.

 

The passengers in the vehicle swung forward, the eighteen wheeler screaming across the street ahead of them, coming from the right and out of sight once to the left.  The car was untouched.  He’d hit the breaks in time.

 

He’d hit the breaks in time.

_  
_ _ He’d hit the breaks in time. _

 

**_He’d hit the breaks in time._ **

 

His right hand caught the person in the passenger seat from flying out of their seat, unable to differentiate who it was for a moment until he felt the flat chest in his shaking, clenching fingers.  He grasped the other’s shirt tight, gasping for air as he kept his foot on the breaks.  He couldn’t breath, but it was different from last time, nothing was broken, nothing was lost, everything was here...

 

Two hands cupped around his cheeks and forced him to look at the person he was holding onto so hard he was afraid they might break if he let go.

 

“Jamie,” he breathed out, tears prickling the corners of his eyes, “J-Jamie, I...”

 

“Let me drive the rest of the way, okay?”

 

Taking a deep breath, Mako nodded and threw the car in parked, the two getting out and switching places.

 

It’d been longer than ten years since he remembered sitting in the passenger’s seat of a car, and especially so in his own vehicle.  Looking over at Jamie as he drove, the blonde looked so soft and hazy in the low light of the city at night.  Their eyes met, from time to time, and for the life of him, Mako couldn’t tell what the other was thinking.  The shame finally settled in at the way he’d touched the other, but he couldn’t find any upset in Jamie’s expression.  He wasn’t shaking, shivering, or even twitching like he sometimes did.  He was...He was calm.

 

Feeling stares from behind, Mako turned back to see Lúcio and Hana were wide awake now and holding onto each other, also seemingly catching their breaths.  “Holy shit,” Hana gasped, “what the hell was with that guy?!  Like, didn’t you have the green light?”

 

“I bet he just, like, hadn’t slept in over a day,” Lúcio offered, blinking a few times, “which should, like, be illegal or something.  Like there is NO way someone needs their styrofoam that badly that you can’t pull over and have a fucking nap.”

 

The two continued to babble on, Jamie’s driving obviously a lot less safe, but still ensuring everyone was comfortable.  As they neared home, he felt a bionic hand on his left, squeezing it as it gripped two of his large fingers and anchoring him in reality from his thoughts.  He’d almost lost him.  It would have been the same side.  He would have lost him and it would have been his fault.  He hadn’t been careful.

 

He hadn’t been careful.

 

Lost in his thoughts, Mako barely noticed they were home until the garage door opened and Jamie pulled in.  Once parked, everyone was eager to get out, but Mako let the kids enter first before getting out.  Jamie waited for him at the door, holding it open and giggling as he watched Lúcio and Hana play with Poaka on the floor.  “I think you guys should let ‘im join ya in my bed tonight,” Jamie suggested, “it’s like having a dog only a lot warmer.”

 

“Awww, can we, babe?” Lúcio placed his chin atop Poaka’s head, Mako now able to see just how tired the pig was from his squinty eyes in the blue light the moon cast inside the house.  The two must have woken him from his sleep.

 

“Psssh, fine,” Hana grinned, “where’re we sleeping?”

 

“Go and show them, Jamie,” Mako spoke up, shutting the garage door behind him and receiving a nod in reply.  Soon, the three were headed downstairs with Poaka in tow, and the man was alone.  But he wasn’t.  Jamie was alive.  He’d saved him.  He hadn’t let it happen again.  Stepping into his bedroom, Mako made sure to leave the door open and stripped down to his underwear, lying back in his bed and collapsing with eyes shut.

 

He heard the door shut after a while, and the shuffling of footsteps.  The sheets on his bed were lifted, and a smaller weight laid down on the mattress next to him.  Calloused, boney fingers placed themselves in Mako’s large left palm.  He shut his hand around it, and fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.

 

He’d saved him that night, but Jamie had already done more than that.  The least he could do was fall in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So at the end of the day this chapter was about 6k words, which is longer than most of my drabbles. I hope you all enjoyed it and the pretty obvious clues as to the two's pasts~ Also this is my first time EVER writing Lúcio, which was troublesome when I had to write him for that long, ya know? Anyway, I hope you all found it enjoyable, and shoutout to my good buddy [BasslineRaver](http://archiveofourown.org/users/BasslineRaver/pseuds/BasslineRaver) aka Tempest for beta-ing this chapter for me!! I super duper appreciate it and I really did need it for this!!
> 
> Also, [bai-marionette](http://bai-marionette.tumblr.com/post/147732687941/i-made-a-roadrat-doodle-of-lilmaevals-fic-the) on tumblr made this beautiful sketch!! You should go follow them~ And you can follow me @[plumaeria](http://plumaeria.tumblr.com/)~!!!
> 
> Thank you all again so much for reading, I've got a request I'm working on next but then I'll get right back to chapter 7. See you in the next one!


	7. Like a Dream

The late morning sun spilled into the bedroom, dust particles floating in the air and a pressure against Mako’s side as his heavy eyelids struggled to open.  Was it Poaka?  No, no, this was too thin...and long.  His breathing quickened as he felt the presence of the other person in his arms, coddled so close in his large embrace.  As his vision began to comprehend what was there, he clenched his teeth as memories of what had transpired in the wee hours of that same day flooded his mind.  Jamie was here, curled up around Mako and sleeping blissfully with nothing but his briefs, not even his prosthetics on.  Mako, meanwhile, was thinking of ways to not scream.

 

Eventually, after breathing his heart rate back to a somewhat regular level, he lifted a heavy hand and, as gently as he possibly could, pat the boy softly on his head, blonde locks slipping through his large fingers.  Despite the incredible awkwardness of the situation, especially considering he’d gone and admitted to himself just what he felt about the other, Mako couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of giddiness all throughout his body as he stared down at Jamie’s pretty face, sleeping away like a baby.

 

Those angular, sharp features that were constantly contorting to fit every single ounce of emotion into them now softened, letting Mako admire them for what they were.  He wondered if Jamie could make expressions so soft like this when he was awake?  Maybe, but they’d have to come from a feeling Mako hadn’t yet induced in the other.  Perhaps...

 

Perhaps he could change that.

 

Jamie’s chest rose high and his lip twitched, sniffing and seemingly becoming lucid to the situation he was in.  Mako’s hand froze, resting with a thumb on the boy’s shoulder and the rest stretched across the width of his back.  God, he was tiny.  But the man inside wasn’t, that was for sure.  As large, ember eyes snapped open, a dark red blush soon grew on his gaunt cheeks.

 

“G-G’mornin’,” Jamie stuttered out, breathing soft and eyes flicking down towards his left hand and its placement on Mako’s chest, “I, uh...I-I tend ta roll up ta the warmest spot on my bed, most nights.  So, I guess that explains this, roight?”

 

“Up to you,” Mako shrugged, “I was out, and I don’t tend to dance in my sleep.”

 

“Okay,” Jamie found his smile once more, the deep blush still there.  Mako felt a little guilty about it, but he found the boy’s clear embarrassment pretty adorable.  “Guess I’m, ah, ta blame then.  Alright.  Sorry, guess you was just too warm or somethin’.” 

 

“Can’t really say it was your fault though,” Mako sighed, the beads of drowsiness still in his head, “it’s just the way things go.  Besides, with the way you ended up in my arms, I think we can safely say we both got ourselves into this.” His thumb began to caress the blonde’s shoulder absent-mindedly, watching how the other gasped lightly and let his eyelids droop.  The larger man couldn’t help but feel the same need.  Stillness overtook the room, eyes nearly shut once more.  It seemed like, more than ever, the moment had passed, and they were ready to sleep again...

 

“YO MR. H-O-SINGLE G!”

 

The loud cry caused both parties in the bed to jump up, Mako instinctively pulling up the blanket over his body as the door was opened.

 

“Hey, we just wanted to--woah, woah, woaaaah...” Lúcio, just as he soon as he entered, closed it, opening up again with an arm over his head.  “Sorry to, uh, interrupt whatever was goin’ on in here, but Hana and I gotta get going.  She’s got a tournament, and...well, you get it, ya feel?  Yeah you do, okay, seeya!” The door shut once more and faint noises were heard outside until eventually, the house was quiet again.  In his attempt to stay modest, Mako had covered their bottom halves and let the intruder’s imagination go wild.

 

He knew this, because the damn kid was wearing a huge fucking smirk.

 

b( ・ (OO) ・ )～♪

 

“Still mad about this mornin’?” Jamie asked as he snacked on a cracker, leaning against the counter across from Mako, who’d just gotten back from his farmwork and Poaka duties.

 

“Not at you, no,” Mako mumbled, leaning on his chin on a palm and taking one of the crackers, “but...is it really a common thing among kids these days to not knock before they enter a room?  And leave doors open?  It’s an annoyance.”

 

Jamie snickered at the other’s misery, taking a swig of an orange Kickstart and continuing to enjoy the crunchy snack.  “Well what about you?” He asked, tilting his head with his teeth sunk into the flaky crust.  “You left yer door open last night...”

 

Mako scratched at the skin on his cheek, taking a deep breath and gently petting Poaka with his foot as the pig laid underneath his seat.  “That was a special occassion,” he defended, furrowing his brow and wiping a crumb off Jamie’s cheek, “I was leaving it open for someone.”

 

The blonde grinned wide with a deep pink blush coating his cheeks, but then froze still within a blink, squinting and staring forward hard until he turned back towards Mako, his eyes wide once more as he pointed with a limp index finger towards himself.  “Ya mean, me, roight?”

 

“Yes, you,” Mako groaned, taking another cracker and tossing it into his mouth, “so you didn’t have to sleep on the couch, if you didn’t want to.  You know...”

 

Awkward silence ensued, but it only really seemed to affect the one who was trying to find the words to say how he felt.  Jamie, meanwhile, looked as giddy as he could possibly be, practically resting atop the island counter.

 

“Thanks,” Jamie mumbled, chin lying atop his folded arms, “I...I mean, I really appreciated it.  After what happened last night, I thought ya might not want me ta see you or nothin’, but then, you...”

 

The boy dropped off and this time the heavy quiet weighed down its presence as their eyes met.  Considering the realization about his feelings Mako had before he fell asleep that morning, he had to admit, there...was something there.  On both ends.  He was starting to recognize the signs, the way Jamie reached out for him, the constant, near admiring stares, and just the way he would say his name.

 

“Mako,” there he went, saying it again in that dreamlike tone, like he was wording it out in his head as he spoke it, “can we, ah, maybe go out today?  If it’s not too late.  I dunno where, I just...felt like goin’ out.”

 

Of course, that was what the kid had wanted yesterday, wasn’t it?  And Mako, in his own way, rejected the thought.  Now, though, he wasn’t sure that he could refuse a second time.  Or, rather, he had no will inside of himself to reject the offer.  He’d grown so weak to this attention, hadn’t he? “Yeah,” he grunted, standing up, “I think...yeah, there’s a botanical garden near here that’s open until pretty late.  How’s that?”

 

Jamie’s expression was priceless.  His eyes practically sparkled as he jumped up, hands balled up into fists and shaking them close to his chest as he ran up to Mako, looking up at him in that adorable hunched over position.  “When can we go?  Now?” God, he was so cute when he was eager like this.  With a hearty chuckle, he pat the boy on the head.

 

The blonde instantly pulled away, grasping his head with both hands and averting his gaze to the floor.  “I-I’m ready to go whenever,” he quietly spoke, breathing deep and slowly dropping his grasp, “whenever ya want.”

 

“Now’s fine,” Mako replied, “are you okay?” That was concerning.  For someone who wanted to constantly grab onto him, he seemed to pull away from his touch fast.

 

Then again, the last time he touched the kid’s hair, he was putting out flames, wasn’t he?

 

Mincing few words past that, the two were in the car that had survived the early morning mayhem.  “Ya sure ya wanna drive?” Jamie asked, folding his arms and leaning back.

 

“It’s fine,” Mako reassured, “I can’t stay shut in for the rest of my life, can I?” When he’d first said that to himself, long ago, it was in a bitter remark to the fact that groceries weren’t deliverable to his house since he was too far out in the countryside.  Now, he spoke it sincerely, and not just about driving again.

 

By the time they got to the gardens, the sun was fully on fire, pink and oranges cast from the setting sun in the clear sky save for a few wispy clouds.  Once inside, the world outside seemed to disappear behind the latices and bushes that lined the properties.  “They have a café here,” Mako mumbled with hands in pockets as they walked the stone path between plots of large, blooming flowers, “I don’t know if they’ll have bubble tea, but they will at least have tea of some sort.  And sandwiches.”

 

“Sounds pretty good!” Jamie flashed a toothy grin, his giggling some of the only noise in the outside world pardon for the toad croaks and cricket whistling.  Though the night was young, the calm atmosphere felt as old as could be.  Or at least, Mako couldn’t help but feel a rush of warmth he hadn’t experienced in a long time as the two made their way across the dreamlike plane in that strange time of day.  Before long, Mako felt a robotic hand brush with his own and grasped it in his palm.

 

The day was spent just like that.  Small talk, small food, some window shopping, and some flower viewing.  All the while, the two stayed close with hands tightly clasped together.  Eventually, they found a small, grassy hill perfect for sitting on and pointing out constellations, Jamie resting his head on Mako’s side as the larger man wrapped an arm around him.

 

“I can’t remember the last time I felt this comfortable,” the homeowner murmured. Low ground lights and the stars in the sky were the only illumination, with the forest’s chorus of cries singing softly to fill the air.  Mako felt his heart stir deep in his chest, taking a deep breath as he looked down at Jamie, staring back up at him with glazed over, half-lidded eyes, a half-smile gracing his pretty face.

 

The world was simply perfect.  There wasn’t any better time to re-kindle old emotions, to reanimate a life he once had thought would be best if it were left forgotten.  If the way Jamie was batting his eyes wasn’t an open invitation...Aw, hell...

 

_ KSSCHHHH! _

 

Mako felt large, wet drops spray across his face, instantly raising a hand to cover himself only to feel it continue, a sharp gasp and a cry of his name heard next to the larger man.  Valiantly looking around, he saw sprinkler heads popped out of the ground, watering the grass to keep it its pretty green color.  Oh, of course this would happen.

 

Entertained giggling snapped him from his nearly harsh thoughts as he felt the figure in his arms stand up and tug at his hand.  “Dance with me!” Jamie exclaimed, bouncing on his organic leg with starlight forming a halo around his head.  How could he refuse?

 

Standing up, Mako took Jamie’s hands in both of his as the two spun around aimlessly, not caring how the water soaked them both.  In the perfection of that moment, and as he looked into ember eyes that seemed to pierce through the darkness of the night, the older man realized that at no point in his life had he ever felt so invincible.  Spinning with Jamie, he felt like he could take down mountains and swim the oceans of the world twice over.  Even if the ground were to crumble beneath them at that moment, this surge of power made him think he could even keep them safe, no matter what gravity or the laws of physics said.  No matter what, no matter who stared at them or tried to start anything, Mako knew...

 

The two stilled, breathing heavy, though even so, Mako felt like he could run a marathon and not get winded in the slightest.  Tiny hands slipped from his own and thrust themselves around his neck, a face burrowing its way into his chest and clinging close in a youthful embrace.  The larger man let out a chuckle and let his arms wrap around Jamie’s body as well, rubbing his back gently and letting the energy rumble its way through him.

 

“Jamie,” he finally spoke, watching as the called figure’s face turned upward, chin now pressed to his chest.  Christ, he was in deep.  “I know things’ve been rough for ya.  Don’t get mad at him, but your pal and I talked yesterday in the car while you and Hana were having your goblin talk--”

 

“Gremlin talk,” Jamie corrected, adjusting himself a little closer and tilting his head with his cheek pressed to his arm.

 

“Right,” Mako snorted, wondering just how goofy his grin must have looked at the moment, “anyway...He was sayin’ some things about, well, before you moved in.” Mako saw the light fade away in the other’s expression, the water slowly beginning to trickle back.  “I just...don’t get mad at him for saying it, but I did wanna say something now.” Taking a deep breath, he rubbed his thumb across the width of the boy’s back softly and felt the way the other was shivering.

 

“No matter what, I just want you to know that, while you live under my roof, you’re home.  Whenever you’re with me, you’re home.  I’ll keep ya safe, keep ya protected, no matter where we go.  You’re home, Jamie.”

 

Without the cover of sprinklers to hide them, Mako could clearly see tears prickle their way and stream down Jamie’s face, watching as the boy buried his face once more into his flesh as his hands clenched him closer.

 

“T-Thanks...” The muffled gratitude was followed by a few hiccups, initiating a few back pats from the older man as Jamie unclenched his left hand to wipe away his tears.  “G-Got somethin’ in my eye,” he sniffed, cheeks burning red and keeping his gaze locked towards the grassy floor, “b-but I...thanks, a lot.  I-I really...I mean, no one’s ever said that ta me.  No one’s ever said that they ca--carry that feelin’ in their heart before.  Towards me, at least.”

 

Letting out a deep sigh of relief, Mako continued to rub his back and lowered himself a bit.  “Want me to walk us both the rest of the way back to the car?” He asked, Jamie’s eyes widening at the statement.  “Just in case, y’know?  I’ve got tissues in the car and I thought you looked maybe too tired to walk the rest of the way.” Before he could even finish what he was saying, Jamie started to nod his head vigorously, grasping onto Mako tight as the chuckling man picked him up in the crook of his arm.  He might have been pretty long, but geeze, he really was tiny.

 

By the time they got back to the car, Jamie’s head was slumped over, his breathing slow as sleep overtook the kid.  Fair enough, two busy trips outside of the house in a row would do that to a person.  Despite that, he grabbed some tissues from the glove box and began to wipe away the lingering tear residue off the boy’s face with a tissue.  The car was going to get wet anyway, what with the fact that their clothes were completely soaked through, but what was the matter?  It was water.

 

Though he still did feel anxious, driving home this late at night once more.  He decided to stick to the back roads, not caring that the ride was longer.  At least for now, he’d proven to himself that he could trust himself to protect someone.

 

At least for now, he believed in himself, and that would be enough for him to take care of Jamie, and that was all that was needed for their relationship to be at that moment and time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I knoooow, it's short, but this chapter's really more of a pallet cleanser more than anything. This also marks the halfway point of the story as well, and trust me, it's gonna get rough after this.
> 
> Special thanks to [BasslineRaver](http://archiveofourown.org/users/BasslineRaver/pseuds/BasslineRaver) for beta-reading again! Seriously, it helped make this chapter way more readable than it was before >>
> 
> Go ahead and follow my tumblr [plumaeria](http://plumaeria.tumblr.com/) too! Seeya next time~!


	8. Spring Cleaning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up: some violence in this chapter, could be disturbing to some readers. You've been warned.

Feather duster in one hand and spray bottle in the other, Mako’s gaze was directed firmly at the place the staircase upstairs led, Poaka snorting next to him and brushing past the other to slowly climb the stairs.  Chuckling at the diva act, Mako followed suit and entered the attic with a heavy heart.  Nowadays, this was Poaka’s haven indoors, a place he could call his own when the weather outside wasn’t so agreeable.  Beyond the rugged area, however, was nothing but ventilation foam, dust, and the past.

 

That was what he was here to clean up today.  To face again the things he’d done and hopefully--God, he hoped he could--put them behind him.  As Poaka began to dig his snout in his rooting box, Mako found himself falling to his knees in front of a square chest, regulating his breath in order to quell his uneven heartbeat.

 

The air over here was musty and foul, enough to infect the nose in an instant.  He felt his nostrils twitch, shuddering as he prepared for what was to come.

 

_ “AH-CHU!” _

 

Not him.  Definitely not Poaka.  That sneeze was too cute to belong to either of them...which meant...

 

“Hey,” Mako spoke without turning his head, eyes still on the memories before him locked inside the box, “I didn’t hear you come up the stairs.  Why don’t you come over here?”

 

Hesitant shuffles sluggishly made their way closer to the large man’s side until Jamie was finally within his peripheral, instantly dropping into a cross-legged position, holding both legs tightly in his arms and his lower lip popped out in a pout.  “What’s in there?” Jamie sniffed, rubbing his nose with his bionic hand and blinking occasionally in Mako’s direction but mostly looking down at the box.

 

“The old me,” the homeowner simply answered, feeling the bitter cold of the season much harsher than usual, “you don’t have to look if you don’t wanna.  It’s nothin’ pleasant.” How was he so tired already?  He’d just had breakfast half an hour ago.

 

Jamie shuffled closer, dropping his legs and his hands inside of his lap, staring even harder at the chest and shrugging.  “If we’se stayin’ in the same bed now,” the blonde murmured, “then I s’pose it ain’t no problem helpin’ ya in a li’l spring cleanin’, roight?”

 

Well it was certainly spring, but, hell, he was trying to start fresh, wasn’t he?  Might as well be what he called it.  “Then I guess all I have to do is open it up,” Mako breathed out, grabbing the rusty, small key the width of Jamie’s pinkie and placed it in the lock.  With a little grunt, he managed to turn it, opening the case and setting all dusting materials aside.

 

There, on the top of the pile, was the last photo he’d put away.  The one with all of them in front of the Grand Canyon.  The difference was striking.  God, he really had aged, hadn’t he?  His hair, for one, was a reflective black that shined in the sun.  His face was much softer, free of bumps and scars and a smile he hadn’t felt his lips form in forever.  Those eyes held such adoration for the two figures next to him, the small one tightly clasped in his arms as she waved at the camera with head rested on Mako’s shoulder as the other, mature figure clinged to them both with a calm smile that sent shivers down his spine.  How long had it been since he’d allowed himself to even imagine her face...?

 

“Who are they?” He heard a curious voice next to him, his aching heart nearly preventing him from at least giving an answer.

 

“Lela,” Mako managed to find the names, his stomach twisting as he placed a finger over the woman on the glass that protected the photo inside the frame, “my wife.  Was.  This is Maia.” He shifted the digit over to the happy looking girl inside a protective embrace.  Or, that was clearly what his old self thought it was.  Now he knew he wasn’t holding close enough.  He never had.

 

Jamie covered his mouth with a fist and coughed into it, visibly shivering as he leaned in, eyes scanning the image with an unreadable expression.  As he did so, Mako felt himself tense up.  Just what was the other thinking, looking at this image of his younger, brighter self?  This image from eleven years ago, lost in the fantasy of a happily ever after and the looming horizon of danger never crossing his mind until a pair of headlights took it from him.

 

He wasn’t supposed to age like this.  He was supposed to have a family to come home to at the end of the work day, a wife who’d greet him with a kiss and a daughter headed to high school, eventually college, maybe do something in art or writing, since she seemed to love doing both so much.  He wouldn’t have cared.  He would have supported her all the way through.  He was so ready to be the world’s most accepting and caring father, to ensure that his family was a safe place...All he’d ever wanted was the home he had, and he had let it slip through his fingers.

 

A finger brushed away the tears he had not even realized were falling, gasping for air as he snapped his gaze back towards Jamie, his eyes wide and brows raised with mouth agape.  This was the second time the other had to see him cry like this.  He fought back the urge to push the smaller man’s tiny hand away, instead letting him dry his tears with a gentle touch.  “Sorry,” he grumbled, catching his breath and placing down the photo as he grasped his knees, “it’s been...a long time.”

 

“How long?” Jamie asked, scooching himself side-by-side the larger man without hesitation, rubbing a hand down his back.

 

“Ten years,” Mako spoke the thought stuck inside his head, the syllables as repulsive to his tongue as he knew they would be, “I killed them.”

 

He felt the hand on his back grasp at his shirt, hearing the other sharply intake a deep breath.  “Explain,” he heard, causing Mako to stare forward as it all flashed back through his head.

 

They were heading back home from a weekend in San Francisco, Lela sitting in the passenger seat and Maia in the back behind her mother.  Both were asleep, their light breathing filling the car and keeping Mako company along with the softly playing classic rock on the radio.  They were all exhausted, heading back at such a late hour, but Maia had school the next day and the Girl Scouts event had lasted well into the evening.  He didn’t mind, at least Maia was ecstatic to receive the recognition for all the badges she’d earned.

 

The highway was the emptiest Mako had ever seen, allowing him to quite easily zone out without trouble.  He was dreaming of all the things he wanted to do next.  Maybe they could go to Europe, and Lela could help get them around with her amazing language skills while Maia could be given tours of all the different art museums, which she’d probably use as bragging rights at school.  She was such a pride-filled little girl.  All the ideas she had simply blew Mako away.  Surely, she got her brains from her mother.  He couldn’t understand how he’d been so lucky to have them both in his life, after all the chaotic messiness of his own youth.

 

Biker gangs, alcohol, drugs, long hair, shitty folks he called friends all abandoned once he met her.  Lela.  He was certain she wouldn’t have given him the time of day until she admitted that she thought he was “so cool.” Even after explaining he wasn’t the best person, she still seemed to want to be by his side, wearing a smile that outshined any angels.  Maybe that was because she was one.  She seemed to think he was too, for some reason, but that was probably only because he’d beaten the living crap out of some creeps who thought it was okay to try and sneak some panty shots.

 

It did end up surprising him, then, just how much they had in common.  Despite her adorable, grounded nature, she enjoyed heavy metal and gothic designs, which led to an evening of her showing off her dark lolita collection.  That, afterwards, led to something...else.

 

What she did for him, however, was make the large, intimidating, and ruthless Mako Rutledge realize just how damn much he adored cute things.  She was the cutest of all to him, but right behind her were the Pachimaris she collected, which she gratefully shared.  Had they just remained friends, he would have happily accepted it so long as he got to continue borrowing them for nights.  But they didn’t, and instead, he had her.

 

And then they had Maia, the greatest kid to ever grace the planet with her presence.  He told her so all the time, wanting her to grow up with the love, compassion, and warmth he didn’t have.  She was so smart, too.  She had her share of Ds, but usually her final report cards ended with mostly Bs and at least one A.  She earned all her grades, a work ethic in her unlike Mako had ever seen.  Her mother had taught them both ways to improve memory and studying, though he was certain that she hadn’t expected to teach him as well.

 

Maia loved him too.  She constantly talked about him at school, according to teachers, talking about how he was able to lift most anything without a sweat and apparently claiming he was actually Maui, the demi-god, which really got under the skin of some of the more religious students and got her involved in a few fights, well-fought battles she apparently all won, according to her.  Although her mother wished that he wouldn’t aggravate the situation any more, every time he tucked her into bed, as he kissed her forehead he would tell her that the blood of heroes flowed through her.  Sure, that would increase the chances of fighting the next day, but it was worth it to see that grin and hear the tiny and sleepy “I knew it,” before she lulled off for the night.

 

He loved his family so much.  He was so happy to have them, the idea of any life better than the one they were having not even entering his mind.  Neither was the idea of life without them.  Not until he found himself driving through an intersection on a green light, and the nearing headlights from the right only catching his attention as they bored their way through the car, shoving it through their paths and off to the side of the road.

 

His back was on fire, and his chest was burning.  Hands that once grasped a wheel were left grasping at air, the sound of the car stalling out hitting him first.  His head pounded as he attempted to comprehend what had just happened.   _ Lela.  Maia. _  Their names hit his mind and a sharp pain snapped through him as he turned his head fast to the right.

 

Air bags muffled his screaming, blood and shrapnel along with broken glass filling his vision as he saw Lela slumped over, gasping for air, as Maia laid unconscious in the back with a bar imbedded in her head.

 

Soon, he tasted blood in his mouth.  His eyes shut, the sound of his name being called by a desperate voice being the last thing he heard from her.

 

He’d woken up to white nothingness, a stiffness around his neck and the sensation of something crushing him on top of his chest.  As he adjusted, he began to see shapes and his ears picked up a continuous beeping and occasional whirring.  He probably wasn’t in any sort of afterlife, it seemed.  This was a hospital.  A figure from outside entered, and his memories of what he’d seen before he’d blacked out came back.

 

“Where are they?” He attempted to say, only coming out in strangled whispers.  He tried to look down, only to find he was restricted by a neck brace.  The nurse was polite, just doing her job, anyone could tell that.  But Mako was impatient, scared, and too large to put down by just one pair of hands.  “Tell me,” his throat was on fire, eyes burning with tears as he tried to put the worst thoughts away.  No way could they be gone just like that.  They were just there.  They had to live.  They had to be alive.

 

Other nurses rushed in, restraining him and the first one to enter receiving confirmation from all the others before she gave him the news that would change him forever.

 

“We lost them,” in such a soft, caring tone, she delivered the words that still rung in Mako’s head to that day, “your daughter was already showing no vital signs by the time the ambulance got there.  Your wife fought valiantly, but after six hours in the emergency room, I’m afraid she wouldn’t wake up, and eventually, she passed.”

 

He didn’t believe it at first.  Everything in his mind told him that the woman was lying, that she was just telling some awful, cruel joke.  Even if he saw what happened to Maia with his own eyes, his wife had said his name.  She had to be alive.  They both had to still be there, with him, living and surviving this awful, horrible mess.  “How long has it been?” He asked, hearing the heart monitor next to him hasten its rhythm.  The nurse bit her lower lip and rubbed her hands together, watching the monitor until it slowed down a little, the patient attempting to calm.  They were alive.  They were just fooling with him.  Everything was fine--

 

“We’ve been monitoring you for three days now.  We’re all so sorry for your loss.”

 

Everything  _ wasn’t _ fine.  He finally lost it.  The tears he’d been biting back spilled out as he let out a broken wail, unable to scream properly thanks to his broken neck and fractured ribs, which only made it hurt even more.  He couldn’t express the terrible pain inside, tearing him apart far worse than the physical injuries he’d been inflicted with.  Lost.  They were lost.  Who was responsible?

 

At first, Mako, along with the media, cried out against the truck driver who’d hit them.  It was a red light that he’d ran, of course, that caused this tragedy.  Not only that, but it turned out the man behind the wheel hadn’t slept for two days in order to keep the strict schedule his company had placed on him.  So, naturally, the defense pushed it onto the company, but Mako wasn’t about to let the man responsible get away so easily.

 

Jamie pulled out from the chest at least five folders full of photos and court recordings, sifting through them and seeing the images littered within, the content being all those within the car and the various injuries they’d had.  They were taken by the police and given to the prosecutor for the swift justice he sought.  That was what his lawyer’s “tagline” was, after all, though she was far more serious than most TV advertising lawyer firms.  She seemed to take the case personally, seeing as she had a daughter herself, but even though he’d been swept up in her idea of idealistic justice, the life he lead after the trial left him feeling empty inside.  Justice...if she’d really believed in that, then why did she never say anything about his part?

 

Mako watched as Jamie covered his mouth and stared at those of Maia, looking back at the one from the Grand Canyon and hearing his breath hitch.  Gently, he took the folder out of the blonde’s hands.  Perhaps he shouldn’t have let the other look.

 

Two thin arms clasped around one of his own, looking down and seeing Jamie burying his face into Mako’s shoulder.  “I’m sorry,” he heard the other speak into the exposed muscle, sniffling and taking uneven breaths, “I’m so, so, so sorry.”

 

The larger man blinked and, cautiously, pat the boy on his head, feeling him flinch as he did so.  “Ya don’t gotta be sorry,” he whispered, “ya ain’t the one who did it.”

 

Jamie pulled back and pinched his nose, nodding after a moment and looking up with furrowed brows.  “Roight,” he grunted, “what happened?  He go to jail?”

 

Out of the memories he had about the events that transpired after the accident, the court case was one of those that he remembered the least.  His anger he’d felt throughout all of it had blinded him to the fact that the truck driver wasn’t the only one who’d caused this, even though the news and everyone who watched it seemed to say so.  No...once all was said and done, and once he’d stepped back into the place he’d called home, he really knew that the truck driver wasn’t the sole one responsible for taking away his family.

 

The house he was in was no longer a home.  He’d killed his family, and he’d put only one person in jail while he got off scot free.

 

“Yeah,” he choked out, feeling the tears fall again as the shame of his guilt set in once more, “I shoulda been thrown in there too.  Given the chair or somethin’.  I managed ta convince the whole state into thinking I was guiltless...God, they were all so wrong.  I did it, I killed them, why don’t they see that?  It was me--”

 

The hands once around his arm latched themselves around his neck, Jamie’s rail thin body following suit as he felt his face be pressed into the smaller man’s chest, smelling his scent against the white shirt he wore.  The boy’s organic hand undid his hair tie and ran those thin digits through his silver hair, a gentle motion he hadn’t expected, but then, with most things with Jamie, what could?

 

“You ain’t killed ‘em,” Jamie whispered, his knees on Mako’s thighs, “an’ I ain’t met ‘em either, but hell, with the way you been talkin’ about them, I bet they’d hate you sayin’ that.  You were drivin’ late, but you at least paid attention ta traffic lights, roight?  That dipstick didn’t even try compared to ya.  It ain’t yer fault someone didn’t follow the rules.”

 

He was saying the same things.  He was saying all of the same things that had been repeated to him over and over, and it enraged him.  His large hands grasped Jamie’s slender sides and shoved him hard against the chest, causing it to shake and staring hard into those ember eyes, sparks of fear alighting in them.  As they always should have...

 

“Don’t you get it?!” Mako growled, his mouth dry.  “I could have been more careful, I could have paid attention, but I didn’t and I paid the price!!  I hold so much responsibility, I was the driver.  It shouldn’t have been that just that bastard went to jail.  I’m as much of a monster.  I’m  _ more _ of a monster.  I killed my wife and our beautiful daughter, and I got fucking sympathy for it!!!”

 

He couldn’t even look at Jamie, his eyes locked to the floor.  He was so disgusting.  How could he have ever thought he was deserving of forgiveness?  That he could even want someone to love him again?  That anyone  _ could. _  He needed the other to see.  He needed him to see just what kind of sick, twisted man he was.  Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting, disgusting, disgusting, disgusting...

 

His grip weakened, allowing Jamie to freely move again.  Instead of fleeing like he should have, he pulled in Mako even tighter, rubbing his back and pressing thin lips to the top of his head.  He internally revolted against the sweet action.  He didn’t deserve it.  He didn’t deserve to be touched like this.  He was an awful person, and Jamie should have just left him to suffer.

 

A snout soon prodded his side as Poaka waddled his way into Mako’s lap, looking up at him with big, concerned eyes.  His heart faltered, unknowing about how to interpret this.  He couldn’t very well push the creature away...

 

“See?  Someone’s there for ya,” Jamie spoke, voice as gentle as that damn nurse’s.  “I’m here too.  If ya don’t want me ta tell ya yer fine, well...then maybe I can bring up that you saved me?” Mako’s hands had slipped down far enough that they were on Jamie’s hips, his entire body feeling like it was about to cave in.  He didn’t want to admit it, but at this point, the man holding him was probably his last strength.  So then, why was Jamie saying that Mako had saved him?  “After all, ya stopped in front of that other truck, roight?” Oh.

 

“And it’s not just that,” Jamie swallowed and stilled his motions, simply hugging Mako’s head tight into his chest, “now, I don’t subscribe to any one faith.  But, if I were ta say that yer family was existin’ in any way, I bet they helped ya in keepin’ us all safe that night.  Don’t ya think?  And, like...I mean, honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever felt more like a real person since I’ve been by yer side.”

 

That was the one phrase that caught his attention.  Turning his head up, Mako raised an eyebrow and couldn’t help but feel like this was nearly a reversal of roles.  “Explain,” he mumbled, Poaka continuing to snuggle up on his lap with a huff.

 

“Well, I mean,” Jamie shrugged, looking every which direction except Mako, “when yer a kid, ya kinda just feel like...yer a kid.  Ya ain’t an adult yet, so ya don’t think of yerself as a someone.  Not compared ta the adults in yer life.  An’ then, I got me limbs blown off, uh...ten years ago...” Jamie froze, and so did Mako.  “Probably just a coincidence, that.  Happened in January.”

 

“The thirtieth?” Mako grasped the man’s sides and receiving a wide-eyed stare.

 

“At eight in the evenin’,” Jamie blinked, “my time...”

 

“I was driving around one in the morning,” Mako shuddered, shutting his eyes and counting the timezones in his head.  It couldn’t have been that...No.  It was true...?

 

“Hooley dooley,” Jamie gasped, lowering himself to be eye level with Mako, a slight smile on his face along with a conflicted stare.  “We...we both lost parts of us on the same time and day?  How’s that?”

 

“Impossible,” Mako gritted his teeth, keeping his eyes lowered, “why the hell...?”

 

There was only a short quiet before Jamie broke it, as he usually did.  “I...I don’t think it was fate that made it happen at the same time,” he mumbled, “but, like...maybe it coulda been somethin’ else like that that did end up at least lettin’ us get ta meet?  I know my problems ain’t as big as yours, but more like, we got that one thing in common that lets us connect more than other people ever could.  More than anyone else has ever had with me, at least.” Jamie’s arms slacked, his hands only holding onto his shoulders now as his head turned away and he bit his lip.  Mako finally looked up at him, heart pounding as he heard the other speak.  “‘Cause, y’know, we’se misfits an’ all.  Life fucked us over in a major way, an’ it’s nice ta have someone ta go to about it.  Maybe you can’t forgive yerself, but...mate, I don’t see ya any other way than the one guy who’s ever given me a real place I can call home.  So...even if I ain’t as beautiful as ‘em, I...I w-want you to think the same as me.  I’ll be yer home and yer family.  It’s a downgrade, sure, but whatever, roight?  I just...”

 

Jamie connected their foreheads fast and held onto him tighter, tears dropping from his eyes now.  Mako was more used to seeing these from the other now, but even so, the way the man was talking was making his body tingle despite his revulsion at that reaction.  “Ah, Mako,” he sighed out in that raspy voice that was entirely Jamie’s, “I really wanna make you happy.  ‘Cause like, you make me happier than I’d ever thought I’d get the chance ta be.  I hate the fact that I like, ever compared ya to me dad.  Yer nothin’ like ‘im, yer nothin’ like Jesse, yer just...I...I...I think I lo--”

 

Had they not been in the chest that signified literally all that was left of his dead family, Mako would have done something more than what he did.  He grabbed the back of the other’s head and pulled him into a tight embrace, Poaka caught in the middle as he cradled Jamie’s face in the crook of his neck.  He could finish that thought at a later time.  “Shh,” the older man cooed, breathing slow.  He still couldn’t get it out of his head that he shouldn’t be doing this, that he didn’t deserve this, but for now, he accepted that if Jamie was hugging back and not kicking and screaming about it, he probably did want it, for whatever strange reason the blonde had.

 

Slowly, the two put away the pieces of Mako’s past, placing them back in the chest and locking it once again.  Maybe one day, he really could put it behind him, but at the very least...

 

At least, even if he really hadn’t earned it, Jamie trusted him.  He trusted him and wanted to stay by his side.  Maybe that could be more, but God, all Mako could feel as they finally cleaned up the cobwebs in that room was a warmth of relief, one that evidently read on his face.  As he turned around and waited for Jamie before heading downstairs, he saw the other staring hard at him until his crooked face flashed him his widest grin.

 

Was the old, broken man...really smiling?  He’d smiled plenty with Jamie before, but...They were all ones he’d known.  Ones he’d allowed himself to make.  This happened without his knowledge, came from subconscious thoughts and wants...

 

He was growing weaker by the day.  Soon enough, the other foot would have to drop, and he’d have to let Jamie finish his sentence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UGH my _HEAAAARRT_
> 
> I know, the irony of the author here saying that...RIP
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading, I really love you all so much ;w; my tumblr is [plumaeria](http://plumaeria.tumblr.com/) so feel free to give a follow if you like!


	9. To Say Geronimo

Mako thought, that even with a week to pass, that maybe things could grow between himself and Jamie, and he wouldn’t have to hold onto this desire welling up inside of him every time he so much as glanced at the blonde.  And yet, after morning upon morning waking up with the boy in his arms, the movie nights that always ended in “accidental” sleepy cuddles, and countless opportunities in the past to have made  _ some _ sort of move, the two remained locked in an unchanging routine.

 

They’d wake up, Mako would feed Poaka, go check on his farm, and come inside to either see Jamie doing whatever his job was on his computer downstairs or tinkering with something in his kitchen, his knack as a mechanic proving itself quite useful in his life.  Or,  _ their _ lives, Mako corrected, considering this was both their homes.  Backing up again, he’d wondered why it’d never occurred to him to ask just what Jamie’s job was.

 

He remembered, after a moment, that again, it was an opportunity issue.  He’d never asked early on, but considering they’d lived together for at least a month now, it would be pretty embarrassing to just go up and ask what his job was.  Though, to be fair, Jamie didn’t exactly have the best memory, and it took him a while to even remember his name.  So at least in that case, he guessed he had an excuse?  In a way...it was free practice right there in front of him.  Sure, it was different from going up and saying, “Hey, I dream about you nightly and get giddy just from looking at you, can we just screw the bullshit and make out already?” But it was certainly a start.

 

Besides, he...He did know Jamie’s feelings.  He  _ knew _ what he’d heard the other was trying to say when he’d broken down and told the blonde all about his past, however at the same time, there wasn’t much else for the other to say, was there?

 

He’d gone and admitted, and Mako had silenced him.  The boy had made his efforts to cross the bridge, but was stuck halfway.  Clenching the cover to his algae beds tightly in his hands, he shut it fast and stomped out of the greenhouse and towards his house.  This was the only way he was going to break the barrier that lived between them.  The only way he could be with Jamie was if he made his own, strong effort to say he wanted him.  Hell, that he  _ needed _ him.  He needed everything about Jamie, from the odd curvature of his spine, to his infectious laugh, to the way that raspy, high-pitched voice of his said the older man’s name...

 

_ Calm down, calm down, _ he reminded himself,  _ remember, you’re just asking what his job is.  Right.  Okay.  This one’s simple.  Simple, simple, simple... _

 

Knocking on the open doorframe to the boy’s bedroom, Jamie seemed to find comfort still in using it as an office, which meant that, of course, the sheets were in ruins.  On top of the mess was Jamie, his prosthetic leg lying under a blanket and his bionic hand currently being nibbled upon by his jagged teeth, wearing only a pair of briefs.  In short, he was indecent, and the only person who seemed to care was the man intruding.

 

“Ah, g’day!” Jamie shot a sideways finger gun at Mako as the noise caught his attention, looking up from the laptop situated on a pillow in front of him.  “Done already?  We gonna go fer a walk?”

 

“Yeah,” Mako instantly answered out of habit, “wait, no, I mean...” Shit.  Their schedule was so routine now, even Jamie was continuing it without hesitation.

 

“No?” The blonde tilted his head, stopping his hand from closing his laptop just yet.

 

Alright.  He could do this.  “I’ve...I’ve been meaning to ask something,” Mako began to wash his hands over each other, grasping his chubby fingers tightly.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” Mako dragged out the word, eyes directed towards the wall until he forced them onto the figure before him.  He didn’t even have to do the work of envisioning him in his underwear, and yet, that was exactly the thing that made it hard for him to talk.  “I, uh...I wanted to know what you did.  For work, I mean.”

 

Jamie’s ember eyes blinked and squinted, flicking from his laptop to the man before him.  “I ain’t told ya?”

 

“I don’t think it ever crossed our minds to ask,” Mako managed to get out, attempting to control his breath.  Why did he think this was a good idea?  This was so out of place, he should have just waited for a time for the two to naturally be talking!!...Like the walk.  Why didn’t he ever fucking think?

 

“Oh,” Jamie shrugged, averting his gaze towards the floor, “I, uh...” He stilled entirely, mouth agape as he was lost in thought.  He rolled his gaunt thumb along the top of the laptop and gently pushed it back.  “I mean...I guess...I guess I oughta tell ya that I don’t actually have a job.” He grumbled out the last bit, gulping fast and continuing in a wet voice.  “But, ah, I do have money!!  Lots of it.  Don’t kick me out, okay?  I just...Well, let’s just say it didn’t come cheap, an’ I’ve got some people who’ve, ah...been usin’ me fer it.  I guess ya could say that...” Jamie turned his head away fully, biting his lower lip and letting out a hiss.  Mako stood there, watching and drinking the information in.

 

“...You didn’t do anything illegal, did you?” Mako asked cautiously, receiving Jamie’s attention once more.

 

“No, no!” The blonde shook his head, fully opening up his laptop once more and typing in an address.  “It’s legal,” he promised, “I just...lemme show you my account.” Turning it around so the man could see, the old man felt himself nearly collapse, grasping a nearby drawer slowly with a strong grip.

 

The kid was 25 years old with two million to his name.  Legal tender?  How the hell...

 

The laptop shut on him, causing Mako to snap from any thoughts he might have started to notice that Jamie was twitching harder than normal, shoving the thin object aside weakly and biting on his black nails.  “‘M sorry,” he grumbled, shutting his eyes with a sigh and collapsing onto his side on the bed, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t wanna keep it from ya, I wasn’t tryin’ ta either, I just wanted ta...”

 

Mako sat himself down next to Jamie and began to pet his head softly, quelling his own beating heart along with the blonde.  “What’re you sorry for?” Mako whispered, a strong desire building up in him to continue doing this for next thousand years.  “It’s your money.  Whatever you did to get it, so long as you won’t get in trouble for it with the cops is fine by me.  The only confusion I have is...well, you don’t have to answer why, but I just don’t get why you’d want to live in the basement of someone in the middle of nowhere like refugee when you could build your own little hideaway with that kind of money.”

 

“I mean,” Jamie croaked out the words, his eyes unable to stay dry, “I’d be found pretty fast that way, I think, if I had to actually spend it fast doin’ somethin’ like that.  I’d rather just...stay safe.”

 

More than anything, above all else, Mako was concerned.  This really was an odd turn of events, and definitely what he’d expected from what was supposed to be such a simple question.  Now it seemed Jamie possibly had a trigger to his back from something...?

 

The blonde sat himself back up again, his hands lifting Mako’s large palm and forcing it back down on his head after it had slid off.  “That was why I wasn’t too happy with the idea of Lúcio comin’ over, but, like, I guess he’s not really affiliated with that lot much anymore.  Plus, he kinda knows.”  _ Probably more than me _ , Mako thought, biting back the selfish thought.  “Now I guess you do too, sorta.  I told myself ever since I moved in that movin’ in with ya was the smartest decision I ever made.”

 

Mako supposed that, in a way, it was something to be proud about.  He’d made this place the boy’s home, hadn’t he?  “I’m glad you think that,” he replied, cringing at his own lack of things to respond with.  What could he even say?  Jamie was a millionaire in retreat under his roof and there was nothing to talk about?!  Nothing that wouldn’t be pushing the matter...

 

Even considering the fact that he’d opened up his goddamn heart to Jamie just a week ago, it was a different matter.  He’d chosen to do that.  Jamie felt forced to here, hadn’t he?  He wouldn’t make his lodger any more uncomfortable than he was already.

 

Great.  He’d just decided that he was going to meet the boy halfway and yet he’d also made a promise not to break any boundaries.  Mako winced and turned away, his heart aching.  It was all timing, of course, and he had shit timing, that was for sure now.  Conversation was all about finding opportunities, he’d read that in all the self-help books people gave to him as birthday presents he usually gave a glance over to see if they said absolutely anything that was different in them from the others.

 

Always the same advice.  And, seemingly, always right.  At least, when it came to Jamie, who was now tugging softly at his tank top.

 

“Can we go on our walk now?” Jamie asked in that childish tone he sometimes used.  Mako repressed the shivers he felt coming on as he heard it, instead simply nodding and getting onto his feet, feeling a pair of thin, gangly arms wrap themselves around his large arm loosely, a sharp gasp escaping the smaller figure.  “Fuck,” he mumbled, letting go with one hand and patting down on the bed behind him, “where is it...?”

 

Mako grabbed the prosthetic from under the covers, getting down on his knees and placing it on Jamie without missing a beat.  As he stood back up, the arms grasped close again, this time tighter than before, along with a face pressed against the rough skin there.  They were right next to a bed, and yet, Mako couldn’t convince himself that this was a good time, not with the conversation they’d just had--

 

“I’m really glad I met ya,” the muffled voice spoke against his bare flesh, feeling his thin lips move as he talked while Mako did everything in his power to act like he didn’t notice how good the motion felt, “I didn’t wanna be alone, y’know?  And, I mean, this wasn’t the first place I’d checked.  But then you...” The larger man forced himself not to look down, feeling a cheek press against the same spot the boy spoke against as he let out a sigh.  “Ya didn’t need to do much to make me feel at home.”

 

The moment passed.  He missed his window again.  Tiny hands slipped down to grasp his own, squeezing and giving Mako the strength to pull the two along, using the other to leash up Poaka for their walk.

 

It was quieter than usual.  He’d ignored the windows, the moments where he could have changed things, where he didn’t have to leave Jamie hanging like this.  What was it?  What in the world was holding him back?  The perfect moments always seemed to be swept away from him from either some stupid contrivance or he felt he just didn’t deserve it.  The smaller ones didn’t seem like they were enough.

 

They were at the edge, and Jamie had probably been set to jump forever ago.  It was Mako’s cold feet holding them from rushing in, and he hadn’t felt a loathing so strong towards himself in quite some time.  Not even drudging up his old memories could compare to the self-hatred he held at that precise moment.

 

He needed something, a plan.  Something so damn romantic that he wouldn’t even be able to resist the tugging of heartstrings.

 

( ♥ (OO) ♥ )

 

“Hey,” Jamie called from the couch, remote in hand as he sifted through Netflix, “let’s watch Mad Max!”

 

Well, it was Jamie’s night to suggest what film to watch.  So much for that idea.  At least the blonde seemed to be in higher spirits than before, giddy as could be as Mako sat down and put the popcorn on the coffee table in front of the couch.  “Ya never saw Fury Road, roight?”

 

“No,” Mako admitted as he got comfortable, leaning back with arms spread across the couch, “I did want to, though.”  He hadn’t gone out to the movies all that often to begin with.  Or out, really.  And when he did watch movies at home, they were either documentaries, dramas, or classics he’d already seen.  It was nice, watching new things or watching the same things with a different perspective.

 

“Yer gonna love it,” Jamie was grinning ear to ear, “Furiosa’s the bomb, and Tom Hardy’s just--” The blonde began to fan himself with his organic hand, slipping out a tongue and raising a brow at the other.

 

Tom Hardy, eh?  Mako took out his phone and went on IMDB as the film loaded, looking up the actor and checking his Bio.

 

Thirty-eight.  The same as Jesse, wasn’t that right?  “You sure seem to like your men older.”  Glancing back up at the screen, Mako felt the words escape him before he could even realize what he was saying.  He began to squeeze his tiny phone tightly, taking in a deep breath and preparing an apology before he heard a howl of laughter next to him.

 

“I-I mean,” Jamie rested his head against Mako’s side, curling up into a ball and placing his left hand on the larger man’s stomach, “I guess?  I dunno, it’s just how it goes, I think.  Kinda need the support, probably.”

 

Mako hadn’t expected him to be so honest about something like that.  That is to say, it did make sense, but the homeowner wasn’t sure if he’d be willing to tell anyone that, not even someone he cared about.

 

Jamie was strange, so different from everything Mako had ever expected himself to want.  But...He was everything he wanted to be.  Letting his arm drop down from the couch to around the boy’s body, he could practically feel how the other vibrated at the warmth enveloping him.  Even if he couldn’t outright say it...Mako could keep going.  He had to keep going.  For both of them, he needed to find the time.

 

He felt Jamie fidgeting, arms reaching up.  Around his neck?  Was it time?  He had to stop this nonsense.  He couldn’t afford to hesitate any longer.

 

He shut his eyes tight and dove down fast, plump limps plunging straight down into an open mouth.  He’d attempted to kiss Jamie as he yawned.

 

Thin arms that were previously stretched up scrambled and scratched Mako’s back, fingers digging into it through his light tank top and hot air evaporated as a thin pair of lips pressed against his own, followed by a lengthy moan.  Jamie didn’t let go, and neither did Mako as he strengthened his hold on the other with both arms around his waist.  The soundtrack of the film screamed in the distance as each kiss melted into the next, a hand making its way up and undoing Mako’s ponytail so the boy could run his lanky digits through thin silver locks.

 

Jamie was the first to fully pull back, reluctant clear on his face as he gasped for breath, shaking in his arms and tears rolling down his cheeks.  Mako had to admit, it took a lot for him to not follow suit, though the two were smiling nonetheless.  “I-I didn’t...” Jamie choked on his own heaves, pressing their faces together fast and taking a small, wet peck.  “I was afraid ya didn’t want me back...I thought you was tryin’ ta let me down easy...I was givin’ up hope that I could--”

 

“God, damn it, Jamie,” Mako interrupted him for once, his large hand grasping the blonde’s back tight, repressing the urge to outright crush him as he breathed hard, “I love you!”

 

He really didn’t think he’d ever be able to say that phrase again.  And yet, here with Jamie, it was so easy.  After all the buildup, the fear, the pretense, and the practical failure of a first kiss, he was actually able to express his feelings for the other without even half of the same bullshit.

 

Caught off guard, Jamie’s eyelids fluttered fast before cupping Mako’s face fast.  “I..” He spoke with what breath he could get in between each airy kiss.  “love...ya...I love...I love ya!!”

 

Grasping Jamie close his large hands, Mako moved slow as he caressed the other’s body, feeling the cut of his hips and his tender skin.  In his motions, he began to go under the other’s shirt, receiving a pinch to his thick neck.  As he looked up, he saw Jamie’s beet red cheeks, biting his lower lip in an odd grin.

 

“Maybe we should move this to the bedroom,” he finally spoke, kicking a leg to a sleepy Poaka, grunting at the noisy television for being so loud.  Mako let out an amused chuckle, turning off the TV and his heart racing as he picked up Jamie in one arm, cradling him so close to his chest.  Not even dreams could have prepared him for this.

 

“Bedroom,” Mako mumbled to himself, “right.” He received a giggle in return, arms resuming their place around his thick neck and Jamie’s head resting on his shoulder.  The homeowner took one last glance at his pig as he opened the bedroom door, sleeping so peacefully on the couch, and internally apologized.

 

They weren’t going to be quiet in the slightest that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE SLOW BURN PORTION OF OUR FIC IS THUS COMPLETE
> 
> Yeah but it's still T so no sexual content my dudes ~~maybe i'll make a separate omake one day who knows, it depends on the interest i guess~~
> 
> Super special thanks to [paintdoesart](http://paintdoesart.tumblr.com/post/148187507947/lilmaeval-im-still-mad-at-u-for-making-me-feel) and [kumamimi81](https://twitter.com/kumamimi08/status/755514735982964736) for their BEAUTIFUL art of chapter 8 and Jamie snuggling Poaka respectively~!
> 
> Also shoutout to my bud [BassalineRaver](http://archiveofourown.org/users/BasslineRaver/pseuds/BasslineRaver) for beta-reading again!
> 
> You can follow me on tumblr at [plumaeria](http://plumaeria.tumblr.com/) too if you'd like!
> 
> ...Oh yeah, next chapter is Jamie POV.


	10. His Light

The one thing Jamison hated about waking up in Mako’s room was the fact that he refused to close the blinds on his windows, so in the morning, sunlight poured into the room and burned through the blonde’s closed eyelids.  Letting out a whine, he dove further under the covers and curled up closer to the warm, large, naked body that shared the bed with him.  So other than the light, he had to admit, everything else about finding himself there was pretty nice.

 

With that thought having entered his mind, Jamison let out another whimper as the act of diving away from the brightness made him realize just how sore his body was.  It’d been a long while since he’d done something like that, hadn’t it?  He couldn’t remember when it was that gentle, either, but then the reason why his body ached so much was because, well, Mako was quite the force to be reckoned with.  His cheeks were still hot from the way the other looked at him last night when he put it in.  Clinging tightly to the man lying on his back, Jamison let out a little sigh of contentment as he nuzzled his face into Mako’s side.

 

As he did, however, he felt a rumble as the other breathed, his body warm and holding onto him close.  The blonde looked up, his cheeks growing hot as a large hand scooped him tightly against the man’s body.  “Jamie,” a sleepy mumble called his name, “oh, Jamie...”

 

If he wasn’t already madly in love, Jamison knew he had no other choice but to stay with him for the rest of his life, however long that was.  Stretching his arms up, he scrambled up further onto the other until they were face to face, his beautiful brown eyes barely opened.

 

“Mornin’, ya boofhead,” he grinned, reaching down and running his slender fingers through Mako’s silver hair that spilled across his face, “wakin’ up at yer own pace?”

 

Jamison felt as the hand on his back slide up his spine and rubbed a thumb across his neck, against a spot the blonde distinctly remembered Mako pressing his lips to and sucking on for quite a while.  He wondered, just how many marks did he have...?

 

“Yeah,” the man’s deep voice spoke, feeling his large fingers pressing into Jamison’s own body harder, “gotta let this last.  You look damn good this morning.”

 

The blonde felt his cheeks burn at the statement, letting out a soft giggle and connecting their lips in turn.  “So do you,” Jamison grinned, “ya seem even handsomer than normal, in fact.  Did ya have nice dreams?”

 

“Nothing better than last night,” Mako grunted, the man slowly pulling Jamison on top of him and holding him in his large hands, “how’re you feeling?”

 

Hooley dooley, Hana was right.  Jamison really did have a weak spot for anyone who showed him an iota of concern, and the amount of attention he was getting now from Mako was lovely.  “‘M fine,” he murmured, kissing him once more and feeling comfortable on the man’s lovely stomach, “a little sore, but the good kind.”

 

“Mm,” Mako sighed softly, pressing the two’s noses together, “glad to hear it.  I feel a bit bad about it, but I need to get up.”

 

Jamison gasped and let out a long whine, clinging to him even tighter.  “But why?” He whimpered, kicking his legs a bit and pouting.

 

“Because Poaka needs to eat,” Mako snorted, his large lips curled up in a smirk as he sat up a bit and slipped Jamison back under the sheets, “and I need to take care of my algae.  You can rest, I’ll be back probably around lunch.”

 

Lying back on the mattress, Jamison huffed and folded his arms before pulling the cover up over his whole body, shivering.  “Make it snappy!” He cried out from underneath, grasping the blanket tightly in his hands and staying underneath.  Hearing footsteps shuffle closer, a pressure remarkably like a kiss pressed to his forehead through the fabric before he heard the door open and shut.  Bloody drongo was too damn perfect...

 

Really, he had no other choice but to fall in love with a guy like that, didn’t he?  Sure, he didn’t always have the best temper, but then when did Jamison?  He was at least less sensitive than Jesse.  More patience too, which even the blonde knew he grated upon quite easily.  Not to mention, outside of the way he treated the man...God, he just fucking loved Mako.

 

From the moment he saw his huge figure, silver hair held up in a ponytail, and those piercing brown eyes, Jamison knew he was doomed.  He always did have a thing for older...and big.  It’d been seven months since he’d been in a relationship, and considering his own age now, wasn’t it time he allowed himself to get close to someone again?  Then again, he probably would have even if he wasn’t ready.

 

Luckily for him, Mako was just about everything he’d ever needed.  It seemed that, without much convincing at all, the older man wanted to take care of Jamison.  From grocery shopping, to helping him in fixing the other’s bike, and even letting him stay in the same bed.  Speaking of staying in the same bed though...

  
It still sent a flutter through Jamison’s heart as he thought about the way Mako grasped onto his chest after stopping just in time to save them from that truck.  To know why he was doing so, that fear the other had of losing someone he loved again...It only made Jamison’s entire soul ache at the idea that he could mean so much to him.

 

So much so, that he began to feel his eyelids droop.  Ah, it was still pretty early, and this bed lingered with the warmth of Mako’s body.  Slipping onto his side of the bed fast, Jamison reached up with his left hand and began to trace the marks on his neck, sighing sweetly as he fell back into a deep slumber.

 

He was so much in love.

 

So much so, that he’d do anything.

 

Anything to keep it.

 

_ Anything to keep his love. _

 

“Woah there,” a strong hand slapped down the cowboy hat on top of his head, stopping the boy in his footsteps, a familiar face soon ducking under, “what’s the rush?”

 

“Well ya wanted me ta give it the adjustments, roight?” Furrowing his bushy brows, Jamison spun around under the pressure still on his head and with both of his hands lifted the brim of the hat up so he could look up into the man’s eyes.  “I mean, that’s why ya called me over an’ all, isn’t it, Jesse?”

 

“Now I don’t recall saying quite that,” the older man smirked, rubbing his left arm--a prosthetic Jamison had made for him, based on his own patented design.  It was the main reason they started keeping in contact, after all it was Jesse’s family’s grant that got him the chance to patent his prosthetic mechanical arms and live a comfortable life in the states.  Of course, considering their age difference, the blonde expected that the southerner wouldn’t be interested in much else about him.

 

Or, at least, he didn’t think he’d share the same interests the nineteen year old had in him.

 

“Alroight,” Jamison took a deep breath and took off the hat, holding it close to his chest, “then...what did ya want me here for then?”

 

He watched as Jesse licked his lips and scratched the back of his neck, breaking away his gaze for a moment before locking eyes with the blonde again.  “How long’ve we known each other now, Jamie?”

 

There was that flutter in his chest again, the way he called his name.  The name he picked out for himself, the name Jesse didn’t hesitate to call him once he asked for the other to.  “Since I was fifteen,” he answered, his prosthetic right hand’s fingers tapping the cap nervously, “so like, four years.”

 

“Yeah, that sounds right,” Jesse sighed with a soft chuckle, “just, ah, shit...I can’t believe...” The older man pinched his lips with his left, the one he usually used to adjust the cigarillo that would be in there if he had one at the moment.  His eyes looked out in the distance, beyond the younger man who was crouched over before him as he usually was.  If Jamison stood up, he’d be taller, but something about that seemed so wrong when he was with the other.  He liked being smaller around him...

 

“Ya can’t believe what, mate?” Jamison asked slowly, tilting his head and receiving a hard, steely stare from the other.

 

Gently, Jesse ran his right hand through Jamison’s blonde hair, rubbing the tips at the end of his locks softly.  “I wanna be a straight shooter here,” he murmured in a somber tone, eyelids lowering along with the rest of his face, “because I’ve been battling with some thoughts lately.  Things I’ve been thinkin’, about you and me, the way you make me feel...”

 

Jamison’s heart clenched up upon hearing the way the other was talking.  His mouth was left agape, red eyes wide as he was left motionless, captive to the drawl Jesse spoke with.

 

“I mean...Is it wrong, Jamie?” The hand on the boy’s head slipped down to his chin, tilting it up gently.  “I know I’m thirteen years older, but shit, you can choose for yourself.  And I think you know what I’m talking about, so, just...Know how I feel, okay?  Call me out on it too, if you want.  I just had to say something...”

 

“Then say it,” Jamison used his height a little to get closer to the other, his left hand holding onto Jesse’s right arm, “go on.  Cause like, I’ve been wantin’ ya ta, but I didn’t know if ya...ya know, thought I was too young--”

 

“You ain’t that young,” organic fingers brushed across his cheek, along with a sturdy mechanical hand on his right shoulder, “you’re old enough to know what you want.  If that’s me, then...”

 

“I do.”

 

Smoke and a bite of bourbon embraced him, lips that were marked his own teeth marks now feeling the warmth of a kiss.  Jamison swore he’d hold onto the moment in his mind for the rest of his life.

 

Waking up in a cold sweated panic as he threw off the immaculately clean sheets he slept under, the twenty-five year old really wished he could wipe the memory from haunting him any further.

 

/)( (ʘ)  (OO)   (ʘ) )(\

 

It took him at least an hour before Jamison could finally convince himself to get out of the bed and then out of the room.  Once in the kitchen, he rummaged through the fridge and grabbed a can of orange soda, drinking it down like water and staring outside towards the back, where Mako was still tending to his farm.  Maybe he could break his thoughts with a little work...Stepping outside, he felt something brush against his good leg and looked down to see Poaka excitedly rubbing his snout against him.  Ah, he hadn’t even seen the cute pig since last night, hadn’t he?

 

“C’mere,” he hummed, sitting down and pulling the pig into his lap, his organic arm wrapping underneath Poaka’s front limbs and gently rubbing his back with his mechanical hand.  He pressed his lips to the side of the creature’s head, placing a small kiss and taking a deep breath.  A hug from such a loving animal could help too, he supposed.

 

The sound of a camera snapping caught his ear, looking left towards the sound and seeing Mako standing there with his phone, lips curled up in a smile.  A really rare, fucking adorable smile.

 

“Sorry,” the older man held out a hand, “I don’t take pictures that often, but...you looked cute.”

 

How dare he say that when he was smiling still?  Gently lowering the pig, Jamison grabbed his hand and swiftly pressed himself against Mako’s side, taking the phone and looking at the photo.  Flicking back to the camera app, he quickly snapped a selfie and handed the device back.  “That one’s cuter,” the blonde proudly stated, “it’s got you and yer grinning mug in it.”

 

Mako’s cheeks visibly reddened, only further proving Jamison’s point that this guy was the cutest person he’d ever met.  “You’re so bold,” the silver haired man rubbed his fingers together and looked off in the distance, “I don’t know how you can say things like that so easily.”

 

“It ain’t without work,” Jamison sighed, wrapping his arms around the other’s thick neck and loving how their eyes met so easily, large hands gripping his waist with ease.  Internally, he begged for Mako to squeeze them hard, hard enough that his bones were near to being crushed.

 

But instead, he was simply held, which in all honesty was just as pleasant.  “So,” Mako turned his head and coughed before pressing his lips to Jamison’s ear and gently placing soft kisses on the edge, “remember Torbjörn?”

 

“Uh,” Jamison wracked his brain, the name ringing a bell somewhere in his head.  Torb...Tor...”Oh, wait, you mean Toblerone, roight?”

 

“No,” Mako chuckled heartily, Jamison’s breathing halting as he felt how the other’s laughter rippled through his large stomach, “you called him that last time...He’s the guy who helped you in fixing up Roadhog.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, I remember that part,” Jamison nodded, the image of the short, old man with the eyepatch over his right eye flashing through his head, “that’s just how I remember him.”

 

“Like getting wet reminds you of me?”

 

Jamison instantly buried his face into Mako’s shoulder and screamed, feeling Poaka’s hoof bat at his good leg, along with the older man’s large hand rubbing his back.

 

“Sorry, sorry,” Mako chortled once more, Jamison really wishing that he hadn’t been completely right as the way the man’s body moved as he laughed was doing a good job in making him remember the other’s name, “just wanted to know how you’d feel if him and a few of his friends came over tomorrow.”

 

“Hm?” Jamison’s chin rested on the other’s pecs, eyes wide.  “I mean, how many?”

 

“Well,” Mako’s hands stilled, “Torb is one, then his friend Reinhardt and his girlfriend, Ana.”

 

“Ah, Jamison blinked before a strange sinking feeling filled him upon hearing the latter name.  “Uh...have we met Ana before?”

 

“I have,” the older man’s voice was a little quieter than before, “she was my old lawyer.  You might’ve read her name in the case files...”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Anyway,” Jamison felt a quick pat to his back, blinking as he felt how quick Mako was to change the topic, “I was wondering if you wanted to invite Lúcio and Hana?”

 

That would be a full party tomorrow, wouldn’t it?  A small get together of seven people.  That would be fine, right?  “Sure,” Jamison grinned, “but, ah, what’re we gonna do, mate?”

 

“They haven’t done it for a while, Mako rubbed his thumb along the nape of Jamison’s neck, causing the boy to have shivers run down his spine, “but they used to have these board game parties, and sometimes they’d invite me along.  Torb called me today asking about something else, but we got on the topic and I ended up offering hosting it here.  Is that okay?”

 

“No, no, it’s fine!” Jamison breathed slow, attempting to hide his excitement.  Mako was going to hold a  _ party. _  Had he been the one to get him to do this?  Had he really affected the other that greatly?  The blonde knew it was wrong to think he’d had such an impact on the man’s life, but at the same time...He was giddy to think he’d actually been the one to open the man up not just to himself, but to other people.  He really wasn’t the same man he’d met over a month ago...

 

Mako was a new man, and it made Jamison feel special.

 

“So, ah,” Mako shifted on his feet slightly, “about your friends...”

 

“I’ll go call ‘em now!” Jamison broke from the hug and hopped over to the glass sliding doors, winking back at the man.  Once inside, he rushed downstairs to his former bedroom, still used as an office for the most part.  As he waited for his laptop to turn on, the boy tapped his fingers on his knees, biting his lower lip and trying to calm himself from the high.  He’d done something so good for the man he loved...Not for the money, or for the attention it got him, but for the home they made together.

 

He’d proved Jesse wrong.

 

❤️ヽ(  ^  (OO)  ^  )ノ❤️

 

“You’re looking quite well, Mako,” an elderly woman’s voice caught Jamison’s attention first as he ascended the stairs, having started to come up as soon as he heard the door open.  That must have been her.  Dressed very modestly with a scarf over her head the same blue color as the cardigan she wore, Ana Amari looked as wise as her voice conveyed.  Next to her was a large man in thick boots, silver hair slicked back and a scar over his dead left eye.

 

“Yes!” He grinned, hands on his hips as he stood rather heroically.  “In fact, have you lost a few pounds?”

 

“Not much, Reinhardt,” Mako was smiling, turning his head and looking over at Jamison as he finally reached the top.  “This is Jamison,” he introduced as the blonde slowly made his way over, resting his head on Mako’s shoulder as he was pulled in, “he’s the one Torb told you about.”

 

“Oh,” Ana grinned, holding out a hand and receiving a mechanical one, “it’s so nice to meet you!  I’m glad to hear that Mako’s found someone so sweet.”

 

“Aw, ma’am,” Jamison shrugged, unused to the attention still.  Even when he was in the limelight, attention from anyone but Jesse was...not so intimate.  A second car pulled in, the electronic music signalling whose it was.

 

“What’s everyone want?” A gruff voice called from behind.  “It’s burgers and sausages tonight, with a side of meatballs and gravy!”

 

Looking back at Torbjörn, Jamison was caught off guard as two pairs of arms jumped on him from behind.

 

“MY DUDE!” Lúcio cried out, rubbing his shoulder and hearing both him and Hana giggling.  “Congrats, you did it!!”

 

“Yeah, GG~!” Hana sang, the touch from the two somehow both familiar and distant.  Jamison hadn’t remembered them ever holding onto him like this except to restrain him from doing something brash...He slowly unstiffened.

 

“Thanks, mates,” Jamison smirked, crouching a little so they had an easier time reaching him, “And thanks fer comin’, too.”

 

“Of course, my guy,” Lúcio chuckled, the two letting go as they each gave him a low five, “wouldn’t trade it for the world to see you livin’ it up again up here in the Northern California hills~!”

 

“Hey,” Mako’s voice caught Jamison just before he headed to the kitchen with Lúcio and Hana, looking back at his beloved and blinking, “did you invite anyone else?”

 

“Eh?” Jamison stood up straight and walked over to him, seeing another car park in the man’s long driveway.  A rather nice Mustang, at that.  “...No.  That ain’t...” The license plate was...too familiar.  He recognized it, he did.  He knew whose it was. “Lúcio.”

 

“Yo?” The DJ heelied his way back over, placing a hand on Jamison’s shoulder.  “What’s up?”

 

“Did you have someone followin’ ya?”

 

“What?” Lúcio stared up at him and then the car.  “I...I mean, shit, I don’t think I really...shit, that ain’t--”

 

“It is.”

 

The driver’s side car opened, as well as the passenger’s.  On that side was the man that Jamison still couldn’t quite pin down the name of, but his heart burned with an immense fury as he saw those narrowed, hawk eyes of his.

 

The driver, however, left him with a pit in his stomach and a flutter in his chest.  In a way, with the expression he wore, it seemed the man felt the same about Jamison.

 

With a tip of his hat as always, the man stepped up to the door.  “Howdy,” he spoke in a quieter voice than either were used to, “so this is where you went.”

 

Before Jamison could speak, his eyes flicked up at Mako, seeing where the older man’s gaze was.  The man’s belt, and the deadeye logo prominently displayed on its buckle.  The passenger prodded the driver’s back, causing him to fixate his attention on the homeowner.

 

“Forgive me,” he spoke, Jamison hating that he could tell through the tone that it was meant sincerely, “where are my manners?” Holding out a hand to Mako, Jamison grasped the older man’s left as tight as he could with his own mechanical hand.  “The name’s McCree.  Jesse McCree.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that's a cliffhanger if ever there was one, eh? Also tfw you add the tags as you go.
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this, I always do when I write Jamie, so this was a nice change of pace~!
> 
> Tumblr is [plumaeria](http://plumaeria.tumblr.com/), thanks again to my pal [BasslineRaver](http://archiveofourown.org/users/BasslineRaver/pseuds/BasslineRaver) for beta reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you're wondering about updates, I'm probably gonna be moving just a little bit slower due to school coming up soon, please be patient!! I won't be giving up either of my stories I'm working on currently, they're both very important and dear to me as they are to you. Thank you all so much for leaving comments, and I'll see you guys in the next one, because it's party tiiiiiime~~~!


	11. Bringing Down The House

Mako thrusted his fork down into the lettuce in his salad, silently placing the utensil in his mouth and chewing carefully, not wanting to provoke the couple sitting across from him and Jamie.  As he ate, he felt the shorter of the two men pay most of his attention towards the homeowner, his steely gaze attempting to puncture through Mako’s toughened skin.  Instead, he continued to eat, staring right back in an unending cycle in which everybody lost.

 

He only gave up the little game when he felt the way Jamie tugged at his cargo pants beneath the table, the dirt-covered boy looking far paler than he’d ever seen him.  Exchanging gazes, Mako’s was directed towards the man in the cowboy hat, who refused to take it off even as they were having dinner.

 

So that was Jesse.  The man next to him, as he learned, was Hanzo, the man Jesse cheated on Jamie with, and the two were now in faithfully committed to each other.  Far be it from the widower dating a man half his age to determine what a healthy relationship was, but Mako had his biases and doubts towards the people who caused his Jamie so much damn grief, so he really didn’t give a shit that he had such a negative opinion of the two and the toxic beginnings of their “love.”

 

Someone cleared their throat.  A feminine voice.  Everyone’s eyes darted to Ana, and those who didn’t know the woman well regretted it as she gave an accusing glare towards everyone at the table.  “Really now,” she harshly scoffed, “a woman cannot clear her throat in this atmosphere?  This silence is childish.  You, messy head, speak your mind and break this now.” Pulling her finger back from pointing it in Jesse’s face, she kept her attention on the man until he finally spoke.

 

“I didn’t mean to come here when y’all were having a get-together,” the man prematurely defended himself, “but when Lúcio and Hana mentioned they were driving north of San Fran, I got...curious.”

 

“What he means,” Hanzo interrupted as he put down his own fork on his plate, “is that it made sense that someone as sneaky as you would try to hide like the rat you are in someone’s house like this.”

 

“Babe--”

 

“Who’re you callin’ a rat, you snake?!”

 

“Jamie--”

 

“At least you understand your biology,” Hanzo grinned, an awkward display despite its sinister intentions, “the rat falls prey to the snake, as you inevitably will learn.”

 

“Oh,” Reinhardt shook the table as he placed his face in his hands, “I feel very confused.”

 

“Yeah, you ain’t alone, pops,” Lúcio sat back with his arms crossed, his food barely touched while Hana distracted herself with a game on her phone.

 

“If you’re confused,” Jesse grunted, “that means you’ve been listening to only one side of the story, huh?”

 

“Well it’s not like you’ve got a very strong case, my dude,” Lúcio dryly responded, “I mean, there ain’t no changing that you cheated on your boyfriend.”

 

“For the love of...” Jesse pinched the bridge of his nose and grasped the edge of the table, “how many damn times do I gotta say we were taking a break?”

 

“So that’s why we signed a bank account together a week before I caught ya sendin’ dick pics to yer ‘side guy’?”

 

“You--!” Jesse’s tan face grew beet red, Mako placing his hand on Jamie’s lap beneath the table to try and stop him from standing up.  “You fucking threatened me!! You said you were gonna hurt yourself if I didn’t stick with you!”

 

“That’s ‘cause I still didn’t see what a piece of shit you were!” Jamie’s ass hitting the seat as Mako kept him down only further enraged the blonde. “I idolized you, you wanted me to, and then I suddenly wasn’t good enough?!”

 

“NO!” Jesse stood straight up, leaning over the table and causing even Hanzo to look up at him in surprise.  “I never asked for you to treat me like I’m some God damned Adonis or whatever, I wanted to be with you ‘cause you actually treated me like I was a real fucking person and not just my last name.  But then ya had to go and act like I was the end-all be-all because you’re crazy!”

 

A simple sharp gasp snapped Jesse from his rage, the righteous flame in his eyes snuffed out as the other seemingly realized the extent of his words.  Before he could blabber out anything, however, Jamison finally rose to his feet, standing taller than any at the table, an unreadable expression on his face.

 

“Jamie, I didn’t--”

 

“Don’t.” Jamie’s left hand began fiddling with his mechanical arm.  “Don’t call me Jamie.  You can try and backpeddle if ya want, but no, you really think I’m crazy, don’t ya?  Fact is, you ain’t seen crazy yet.” Raising his eyes to lock directly with Jesse, the lodger stilled completely, taking a deep breath.  “You wanna see crazy?  I’ll give ya fuckin’ crazy!!”

 

Before anyone could do anything, Jamison threw his arm at Jesse’s face.  In the midst of the confusion and screaming from multiple parties, Jamison pulled his leg out from under himself and threw that at him as well.

 

After restraining Jamie back down to his seat with one hand, Mako reached out across the table and attempted to grab the limbs.  Unfortunately, he was not the only one with that idea, and soon he found himself contesting with five other pairs of hands.  Luckily for him, one of them wasn’t Reinhardt’s, and so he used the largeness of both of his palms to wrangle the prosthetics away.  As he turned around to put them back on Jamie, however, he turned around to see an empty seat, and in the corner of his eye, a hopping one-legged man making his way for the basement.

 

Despite the vulnerable nature of the person fleeing the scene, or perhaps because of his weak appearance, no one dared approach him, much less touch him, until they saw the stairs he neared.  Then, only Mako and Jesse found themselves nearly grabbing him before Jamie plopped down onto the top stair and slid down them.  Bearing his weight, the homeowner cleared the doorframe and soon followed, hearing footsteps behind him.

 

Jamie crawled along surprisingly quickly, though no match even for a walking Mako who managed to pick him up by the back of his shirt just before he made it into his old bedroom.

 

“Lemme go!!” The blonde threw a left punch at the chest in front of him, head lowered as he covered his face with both of his arms.  “I-I need ta grab somethin’!  I gotta throw one last thing!!!”

 

“Why do you need to throw things?” Mako grunted, placing Jamie on the bed and keeping an eye on Jesse, who stood in the doorway, as he began to put the boy’s limbs back on.  “You’re better than that, I know you are.”

 

“Someone don’t think so,” Jamie coughed in turn, flashing a harsh glare before falling on his back and attempting to reach into his bedside drawer, even his own long gangly arm unable to grab it from the position he was in.

 

“Listen, Jamie,” Jesse held a pleading tone in his voice, eyes obviously prickling and the shadow of his partner approaching from behind, the sound of whispers from the others upstairs slowly making their way down.

 

Mako took a gamble and let go of the blonde, rushing up and closing the door, leaving the three of them alone.  Obviously expecting something to be thrown at him at this point, Jesse grabbed out of the air a small, silver lighter.

 

The lighter Jamie burned his hair with.  Jesse’s lighter.

 

“You still had this?” Jesse awed, eyes lifting and meeting the blonde’s once more.  For the first time, Mako saw nothing but contempt in the other’s expression.

 

“You told ‘im I stole somethin’ from ya, roight?” Jamie spoke in a slow, serious tone.  “Well now you can tell ‘im it’s that.”

 

“I told him nothing like that,” Jesse took a step closer as Mako stepped back, sitting on a chair in the corner, “I needed to talk to you.”

 

“Yeah,” Jamie let out a half-hearted chuckle, “ya did, ya got all yer thoughts out on me, didn’t ya?  Rack off, ya dipstick.”

 

“God damn it, I didn’t wanna say that!”

 

“But ya did!!  An’ it felt great, didn’t it?!” Mako could see the way the blonde’s crimson eyes prickled with tears, his head turning away soon after.

 

“No,” Jesse spoke with a sickening sincerity, falling to his knees as an exhausted sigh escaped him, “no, it really didn’t, I never wanted to say something that awful to you.  I’m sorry--”

 

“You’re sorry?!” Jamie kicked his one leg, Mako only having been able to place on his prosthetic arm.  “How the hell do you expect me to buy that?”

 

“I know you won’t,” Jesse admitted weakly, grasping his knees and his eyes locked on the lighter in his own prosthetic hand, “I keep messin’ things up...I messed a lot of shit up.”

 

Silence managed to take hold of the room, tense breathing the only noise for a moment.  “We were a mistake,” Jamie spoke quietly, “we shouldn’ta even tried.”

 

Finally lifting his hand to stare at the lighter closer, Jesse shook his head as a tear slipped down his cheek.  “I don’t blame ya for regretting me,” he shook his head, his voice gravel-like, “and I don’t blame ya for hating me.  I know I took an easy way out...I didn’t wanna hurt you and ended up doing worse.”

 

Jamie clenched the sheets next to him, his previously still body trembling now.  His mouth made motions to say something, but all that escaped him with little wordless stutters.  “Christ,” he finally muttered, head lowered, “I...Fuck, I wish...I wish I could say that I hate ya.  I want ta hate ya so damn bad...”

 

Mako’s burning heart finally caught up to him, making him fully realize just how out of place he felt here.  He deserved to be out there with the rest of the house...Quietly standing up, he walked behind Jesse and cautiously made his way through the door, a sea of disappointed eyes greeting him as he shut it behind him.  “They need their peace,” he stated, and stretched out his arms to usher them all back upstairs.

 

“So,” Torbjörn took a sip of some tea he’d had prepared upstairs, “does anyone want some meatballs?”

 

After an exchange of gazes, the majority of the guests decided to enjoy a lively dinner discussing little inanities.  The only one who opted to sit on the couch, however, was exactly the person Mako needed to talk to.

 

“Did you hear anything?” Mako asked, sitting next to Hanzo and leaning back.  “You were standing closest to the door, after all.”

 

The Japanese man remained silent for a moment, seemingly reluctant to take part in any conversation.  Thinking back, that wasn’t exactly an old feeling for the homeowner, and so he sat waiting for the other to speak his mind, even if all he would receive was cold quiet.

 

“That boy is different from what I expected,” The black haired man finally mumbled, “I thought he would be far more selfish.”

 

“Selfish?”

 

“I called him a rat for a reason,” Hanzo turned his head, “he’d been described to me as a greedy hoarder of attention and material goods.  Though now...It seems a little clearer that those traits could be not entirely his fault.”

 

They didn’t know each other at all, did they?  “He has a tough exterior,” Mako admitted, “but he lets it down a lot for anyone.  I’m not at all surprised he could admit his feelings like that down there.”

 

Mako felt the other’s intense gaze upon him, along with a discerning grunt.  “That must be why Jesse acts so relieved when I tell him I care little for the melodrama that plagues his life.”

 

Melodrama?  Ah, yeah, now that Mako thought about it, from what he had gathered from the little stories Jamie told him, Jesse had been pretty rich, hadn’t he?  He was even the reason Jamie was rich at all...”I don’t think that’s it,” the silver haired man leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands, “as much as Jamie wants attention, I can’t see him wanting much more than the eyes of one person.”

 

“...So you are saying he’s selfish?”

 

“Selectively,” Mako clarified, “and I don’t know much about Jesse compared to you, but they don’t seem like they were ever fit for each other.”

 

Shrugging his shoulders, Hanzo turned his head and let out a deep breath.  “Jesse,” he let the name linger on his tongue, blinking slowly, “Jesse is a passionate lover.  He follows his heart, regardless of the stupid, brainless ideas it has.  I can see him wanting someone without really knowing who they are.  I think that’s why it took him so long to say he was upset with what he had...because he’d learned he wanted something new.”

 

Staring forward, Mako felt his heart twist in on itself as he thought about a now impossible scenario--what if his family had still been there?  What would he have thought about Jamie?  He was certain that, with what the boy had gone through, he probably wouldn’t have pushed anything.  It would certainly have only been what Mako thought they’d be, wouldn’t it?  Homeowner and lodger, not their home built on a shaky foundation.

 

“Tell me about Jamison,” Hanzo requested quietly, also staring forward, “you seem to be quite the compassionate renter.”

 

To talk about Jamie...what more was there to say? “He’s loud,” Mako started off, deciding to get the obvious out of the way, “and very sure of what he wants.  He speaks his mind all the time, and he’s also very passionate.  Especially about making sure everyone likes his interests.  If you don’t, though, he’ll hide his sadness because he just wants to be happy.  I used to think that was silly...He’s helped me realize I want to be happy too.  I want to smile like he does...”

 

“So you two are that close,” Hanzo huffed, “that is what I figured.  Your relationship alone is all I need to know about that boy.”

 

Although Mako from time to time thought of Jamie as a boy, something about the way Hanzo spoke it made him take offense for the absent man.  “How so?” He asked sternly, furrowing his brow at the smirk the other made.

 

“Moving from Jesse to you,” Hanzo spoke his words slowly, as if mulling them over in his mouth, “you both seem less like boyfriends and more like babysitters.”

 

“Don’t infantilize him like that.” Mako took not a second to defend Jamie.  “He can be rash, and selfish. Those traits don’t make him a child.”

 

“No, perhaps not,” Hanzo admitted with a shrug, eyes lowered with an annoyingly cocky smirk on his face, “but he certainly does like someone to be in charge of him, doesn’t he?”

 

There was a deep pit growing in Mako’s stomach. What did he want, calling out Jamie’s dependency the way he was?

 

“Please, calm yourself,” Hanzo closed his eyes and held his chin high, “if you can handle him, that is your prerogative. I would rather Jesse face facts that that boy is happy with someone who can be happy with him back instead of angsting the way he does.”

 

Mako blinked and tilted his head.  “What does he have to angst about concerning Jamie?”

 

Hanzo faced the other with a sincere gaze. “That he’s not the only person who could keep Jamison alive.”

 

The door from the basement swung open, the room falling silent.  Jamison came through the frame, standing up straight and cheeks burned red with tear stains.  He turned his gaze towards Mako, the vacant expression on the blonde’s face turning into one of adoration.  The older man stood up in an instant and made his way over, the two meeting halfway and simply taking the moment to stare into each other’s eyes before a pair of heavy footsteps caught the attention of the homeowner and his guests once more.

 

“Well,” Jesse tipped his hat to the guests and shot a look at Hanzo, “we’re sorry to crash yer party.  Wasn’t intended, we’re gonna get going.”

 

“Wait!” Torbjörn called out, lifting a bowl.  “Don’t you want any meatballs to go?”

 

“I think we’ll find dinner less tense elsewhere,” Hanzo replied for his partner, walking up to his side as the two exchanged gazes, “I suppose no one else is allowed to know what happened in that room?”

 

“Y-Yeah,” the composed figure Jesse had built faltered, averting his eyes, “some things are best left behind closed doors.”

 

His attention locked on the two, Jamie nodded and clenched his fist, watching as they walked out the front door.

 

<( ・ (OO) ・;; )>

 

While Ana and Reinhardt slept in Jamie’s room, and Torbjörn called the couch outside of their room, Lúcio and Hana enjoyed the living room upstairs, where they could pet Poaka to their hearts content on the large couch.

 

In Mako’s bedroom, of course, were both him and Jamie, each stipped down to their boxers and holding onto each other tightly.  Even though the other was quite small, Mako couldn’t help but notice all the heat the other emitted.  Eyes were the windows to the soul, weren’t they?  With the way Jamie’s ember-like, drowsy eyes were looking at him, Mako could tell the boy was positively burning.

 

“So there’s nothing you can tell me about what happened in there?” Mako asked, brushing a few stray hairs out of the boy’s face.  “Whatever it is, I can be quiet...”

 

Casting his gaze downward, the blonde lifted a heavy hand and gently caressed the homeowner’s cheek.  “We, ah, did agree,” he spoke softly, “that we could tell one thing tha’ happened there ta our partner.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah...”

 

Jamie pulled himself up further and held onto Mako tightly, taking a deep breath.  “We...We hugged.”

 

“You hugged?”

 

“It didn’t last long,” Jamie smiled weakly, “we didn’t need it to be.  Just doin’ about five seconds worth was enough.  But...I think we wouldn’ta settled anythin’ if we didn’t do that.”

 

“If you needed it,” Mako pressed his lips to Jamie’s forehead, “then that’s fine--” Cut off with a greedy pair of lips on his mouth, the older man didn’t complain and simply reciprocated the neediness, a hand cupping the other’s ass and pulling him in.

 

“I need  _ you,” _ Jamie corrected, a sultry gaze accompanying his words, “yer too good fer me, that’s why I’m gonna be stuck to ya fer as long as I’m livin’!”

 

Letting out a hearty chuckle, Mako kissed him hard and ran one of his large fingers down the boy’s spine.  “Then expect the same for me,” he breathed out, “I love you, Jamie.”

 

“I love you...”

 

With guests in the house, they’d agreed to not disturb them with Jamie’s rather loud bed cries.  But then, that didn’t mean they couldn’t get a little touchy feely.

 

♥♥♥( ♥ (OO) ♥ )♥♥♥

 

The morning came too fast for Mako’s taste, but at least breakfast was.  Their guests didn’t stay too long, but it was still nice to wake up to a house full of people.  Maybe they’d do it again, but probably only for special occasions.  The break from the normal loneliness could only be suffered for so long, but at least he and Jamie could be alone together.

 

Waving to Lúcio and Hana as they drove off last, Mako leaned on the door frame of the front entrance and wrapped an arm around Jamie’s shoulder, closing his eyes.  “What now?”

 

“Whaddya mean, what now?” Jamison leaned his full weight on the other, a comforting feeling, like a really thin teddy bear.

 

“What’s next?  You’re rich, I’m seven years from retirement, and we live in the middle of nowhere.  What do you think comes next for us?”

 

“...Maybe we can go on a real date?”

 

“Now that sounds like a very good idea.”

 

The two exchanged a quick smirk before indulging themselves in a much longer smooch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this was a long time coming, wasn't it?
> 
> See, I told you school would eat up my time ;w; not that I wanted it to, but what made me _finally_ sit my ass down and finish this was technology being a butt so \:v/
> 
> This wasn't beta-read, just wanted to get this out there for all those still anxiously waiting. -Technically- I mean, if you wanted, the main plot is resolved so like...the rest is going to be fluff until the end. So if that's your cup of tea, HOPEFULLY date time will be soon~ Thank you for reading!


	12. Home At Last

It was an oddly satisfying recurrence when Jamison woke up to the sensation of a pig’s snout pressed against the right stump where the rest of his arm used to be, breathing deeply as a creature fast asleep would. Maybe it was the sense of protection, comfort, a reminder he wasn't alone, or perhaps the rhythmic whoosh of air tingled the bumps on the skin that had healed up around the amputated limb and gave him the sensation that, for a moment, he could feel something with that side of his body again.

 

It at least certainly beat out waking up falling from bed and attempting to cling to the sheets with an arm that wasn't there anymore, that was for sure.

 

Whenever Jamison found himself in his and Mako’s bed sans his boyfriend and instead woke up to cuddling Poaka, it usually meant that the homeowner was out making his living in the algae greenhouse. Sitting himself up and stretching around, the blond ran his hand through his hair quick to untangle some sticky locks and proceeded to reach for his prosthetics that laid against the night stand. One by one, he attached his leg first, and then arm second, giving a good squeeze with his robot hand and jogging in place for a few seconds. Once satisfied with the fit, he limped his way over to the sliding door and exited the bedroom, Poaka opting to remain comfortably tucked under the covers as the ever lax pig he was.

 

It would be very hard to miss Mako, considering what physical presence the man had in every aspect, and that was probably one of the top reasons why he loved him so much. So long as he didn't lose sight Mako, he wasn't lost either, and that meant everything to Jamison. Surely enough, he spotted his beloved sitting cross-legged under a tree, eyes closed and hands on his knees.

 

Presented with two options, Jamison could either attempt to sneak up on the meditating man and break his concentration by whispering/shouting something profane in his ear, or he could walk up to him like a normal person and speak in a normal voice.

 

Naturally, he was forced to accept option two as the only one, as he couldn't make it five paces near the other before his eyes opened on their own and acknowledged him.

 

“Is there a reason you’re more hunched over than usual, love?” Mako dryly questioned, the slight upturn in the corner of his lip giving away that he knew  _ exactly _ why Jamison looked so upset.

 

“Aw, come on,” the blond huffed and crossed his arms, making his way over and leaning on the tree until he slid down to his bum, “I just wanted ta give ya a li’l scare is all. ‘Ow come you always gotta hear me walkin’ towards ya?”

 

“You're not exactly the most delicate creature,” Mako responded with barely a second of thought, “besides, I'd imagine it’d be difficult anyway to be silent with your assets.”

 

At that, Jamison feigned a blush and rolled his eyes, letting out a scoff. “Roight,” he kicked his dumb leg out and began to stretch forward, barely able to touch his toes, “maybe I oughta find some way to pad these out somehow...Can't have cyborg ninjas out there bein’ noisy when doin’ their thing.”

 

“...Is that actually a thing?”

 

“It might be,” Jamison sat up, flashing a toothy grin, “and if I keep improvin’ ‘em, or at least staying parta what the folks down in the valley are doin’, it could make for some neat ways ta save people!”

 

“But where did the ninja thing come from?”

 

“I dunno,” Jamison shrugged, “they’re cool?”

 

“Fair point,” Mako let out a single loud chortle.

 

The wind blew, causing the leaves in the trees around them to bristle together and create a calming cacophony.  Even through this, Jamison could hear Mako take a deep breath and let out an even deeper sigh.  Resting his head on the man’s shoulder, the younger of the two began to run his organic fingers through the tassels of hair on his boyfriend’s thick arms.

 

“Is this what ya do at that yoga class you go to?” He asked, watching how the other’s stomach rose and fell with each breath.

 

“Mmhm,” Mako hummed and slowly reached around, picking up Jamison and sitting him in the larger man’s lap, cradling him close, “you should come with me sometime.  Get the rest of those jitters out of you.”

 

Shrugging, Jamison shook his head and scratched through Mako’s shirt aimlessly with his prosthetic hand.  “I dunno,” he muttered, “that Satya bird don’t seem ta like me too much.”

 

Held tightly by his lover and feeling that beautiful laugh of his boisterously beat from his tummy, Jamison melted in an instant and reached his arms up, wrapping them tightly around Mako’s neck and burying his face into his hairy chest.  “Aw, don’t you fret, Jamie,” the homeowner kissed the younger one’s temple, “she’s just very orderly, she is.  She’s got a place for everything, and just because you didn’t give her a very good example of your character by knocking over her mats doesn’t mean she won’t give you a second chance.”

 

“I’m good stayin’ behind,” Jamison grumbled, “there’s just some people who won’t change their mind on ya.”

 

“Without even trying?”

 

The blond opted to stay quiet, furrowing his brow tightly together and clinging tighter to the embrace.  His silence was cut short, however, by his own coughing at being slapped a little too hard by his boyfriend’s massive hand, followed by some pleasant rubbing.

 

“And yet I’m one of the one’s who will?” Mako chuckled, letting out a deep sigh,

 

Jamison pulled back, eyes wide.  “You don’t think ya really changed much, have ya?”

 

“I think I have,” Mako replied, tilting his head slightly, “wasn’t I a curmudgeonly, bitter old man when we met?”

 

Jamison’s lips wrinkled into an ugly grin, barely containing the giggling he was attempting to hold back.  “Mate, hate ta break it to ya,” he mockingly answered, “but ya still are, only now you’re seven months older.”

 

The blond’s forehead soon met an index finger and thumb flicking it, wincing and cupping it in both of his hands.  “And you’re still a flamboyant brat,” Mako grunted, “guess you’re right, we haven’t really changed, have we?”

 

“Not as far as I can see,” Jamison shrugged, “‘cept maybe we’re gayer.”

 

“Alright, that works,” Mako kissed the younger man gently, nuzzling their noses and standing the two of them up.  “In any case, I suppose we have been dating for a while now, haven’t we?”

 

“Seems so!” Jamison perkily affirmed.

 

“Well, maybe we oughta do something special then,” Mako hummed, “something we’ve been planning to do for a while.”

 

There was only one answer, and yet still, Jamison was almost unsure if it was correct.  After all the fixing and repairing, it surely did run now, and yet...If Mako really did mean it, maybe he had changed a little.

 

“We’re gonna give Junkrat and Roadhog their big debut?” Jamison beamed, standing up on his tippy toes in excitement.

 

“Roadhog and Junkrat,” Mako corrected, “and yes.”

 

“Junkrat and Roadhog,” the blond pouted, “alphabetical order, mate.”

 

“Roadhog and Junkrat,” the silver haired man asserted, “Roadhog’s the bike, Junkrat’s the sidecar.”

 

“Junkrat and Roadhog,” Jamison stood his ground, flopping down to flat feet, “I’m the one who refurbished them!!”

 

Mako opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t find the words.  “Okay,” he humbly admitted, “that’s a fair enough point.  Junkrat and Roadhog it is, then.”

 

Well now Jamison just felt bad.  After all, it wasn’t his bike...Kissing his nose, he gently rested his head on the man’s chest.  “Just cuz he’s listed second, don’t mean he ain’t any less important.  Besides, Junkrat needs Roadhog ta get movin’, roight?”

 

“I know,” Mako took Jamison’s hand and walked towards the house, “and without Junkrat, Roadhog would be awfully lonely on the roads we’re about to embark upon.”

 

Filling up Poaka’s trough enough to feed him until they got back, Mako lead the pig outside and locked him into his pin before joining Jamison in the garage, where the blond had gone ahead and put the keys in the ignition, waiting to be turned.  He was sitting in the sidecar with a blanket stuffed below his feet, just in case the blasting winds overpowered the sun’s rays.  It’d been one of the few times an idea stuck to his head, and it was probably thanks to an old tale Mako had told him about when he’d taken his daughter on a trip once and she complained about the cold.

 

“Ready to go?” The driver stood next to the bike, tossing him a helmet and strapping on his own before his hands gently grabbed the bars and he let himself take a deep breath.  “It’s been a while, so if I’m, er, not my best, I’ll do my best to make sure to stop as soon as I can.  Maybe you should have a seat belt in there?  I feel like you should.  Hell, I’m pretty sure I’m heavier than I was when I originally rode this thing, maybe I oughta strap myself in too--”

 

“You really gonna stand there and talk about this now,” Jamison leaned his elbows on the nose of the sidecar, “or are we gonna get this baby to 85?”

 

“You know what, you’re right,” Mako shook his head, lifting his leg over and sitting himself on the seat, the entire bike sinking underneath his weight, but still standing strong, “enough mucking around, let’s go!”

 

The engine roared to life, and without much preamble, they were out on the road.

 

ヽ( ■ (OO) ■ )ﾉ

 

The open road through forest and open land alike with barely any protection from the elements at all was an experience Jamison had yet to enjoy, and yet it felt so familiar and comforting at the same time.  It wasn’t as cold as he feared it might be, but he did find himself wrapping his blanket around himself regardless.

 

In a way, Jamison almost wished they didn’t have the sidecar option.  Although there wasn’t really any seat left, he was sure he’d be just as content digging his fingers into Mako’s rolls and holding onto him from behind (a position which he was not wholly unfamiliar with).  Of course, then maybe the driver wouldn’t be going as fast as they were, and that wouldn’t be nearly as fun.

 

Oh, but what if he was in his lap?  That could work!...No, no, that’d probably cause the same safety concerns.  It wasn’t exactly the nicest thing to do either, aggravating his fears.  After all, Jamison knew painfully well now where they came from...

 

And that’s when it occurred to him.  Had he ever told Mako what happened to him?  Outside of Jesse, he really hadn’t, had he...?

 

Clinging to his blanket, he noticed their speed lowering as Mako took some sharper turns, the forest growing denser and denser until finally, rays of sunlight cast down high upon an open cliff face, the horizon stretching across until meeting the ocean at the other end.  The engine’s rattling died off as Mako pulled the keys out of the ignition, pocketing them and standing up from the bike.  After taking off his helmet and strapping it to the handles, he began walking towards that vast blue before them, and not too many steps later, he sat himself down before the edge, patting the spot next to him and looking back at the man still sitting in the side car.

 

Stuffing his blanket back where it sat before, along with his own helmet, Jamison jumped out and soon found his spot leaning against Mako’s shoulder, enjoying the view and the subtly salty air.

 

“It’s perfect,” the blond sweetly sighed, “we gots ourselves a view for the ages, don’t we?”

 

“Definitely,” Mako agreed, “I’m glad we did this.  I missed this.  I missed having someone I could share this with.  This long a time has passed and...It’s still the same.”

 

Ah...So that was what it was.  Jamison cupped the wrist of his fake hand and twisted it slightly, shivers running down his spine as he thought about what he was about to tell the man.  Though, should he really be doing this here?  It seemed like a sentimental place...

 

“Go on,” Mako pat the blond’s head, “you got something to say, say it.”

 

“Well, I just,” Jamison fumbled over his words and bit his lower lip, “I’m not sure ya wanna hear about my problems in a place like this.”

 

Mako raised an eyebrow as his jaw dropped slightly, rubbing Jamison’s hip lightly.  “Jamie, I’d love to hear about your problems.  If you feel like talking about them now, I’m all ears.”

 

Crikey, that was all Jamison needed to hear.  His boyfriend was far too perfect for words, so he’d have to express his feelings by spilling what was last left unpoured from his heart.

 

“So, ah,” scratching the back of his head, “back when I was like, fourteen, my mum and I were out shopping fer groceries.  It was normal, really normal, to the point where the last thing I remember clearly was askin’ her if we could get some Twisties.” Jamison brushed his hand against his nose, squinting and feeling his heart clench.  It’d been a long time since he’d thought about that moment.

 

“Just as I was sure she was about ta say no...There was a poppin’ noise.  Really loud, like all across the store.  An’ then a really loud boom, an’ then...just, fire.  Everywhere.  I think I was tossed around, but I’m not even sure if that’s what happened, it’s all a lil fuzzy.  I know that when I was found, I was underneath a support column, and uh...My mum didn’t make it.”

 

Talking about it that way, recounting the facts as they came to mind, all of it made the experience seem so clinical and detached.  That was probably because he was trying to keep himself from being swallowed up by those emotions again, though it didn’t help much.  The more he spoke, the more hoarse his voice got, and the itchier his eyes became.

 

“I never got ta see what was left of her,” he continued on, pinching his nose for a second, “they said I wouldn’t’ve liked it.  As for me, my right arm and leg were completely crushed.  They had ta amputate ‘em ‘for my safety.’ So when I came to in the hospital...” Jamison reached down and detached his arm, holding up the stump and shrugging.  “This is what I woke to.”

 

Mako was still silent, simply pulling Jamison in closer and rubbing his side softly.  The blond took a slow breath and wiped his eyes, glad he got the hardest part out without breaking down.

 

“So after I got out, I was pretty much immediately forced into the government’s lap.  It wasn’t pretty, they kept trying ta find homes for me, and I guess because of my, uh, doc’s report on my mental health, I wasn’t exactly an easy fit.  Meanwhile, I had access to lotsa materials, and the Internet, so I started gettin’ ta work trying to make myself a hand.  I knew stuff like this was bein’ made already, but I also knew it cost money I didn’t have, so I just started makin’ one myself.  Guess it caught most people off guard who was helpin’ me in my physical therapy, ‘cause next thing I know they’re askin’ where I stole this thing, even tried to rip it offa me!”

 

“I’m assuming you managed to convince them you made it, right?” Mako had the slightest tinge of concern to his voice.  Jamison couldn’t help but find it adorable, and leaned up quick to peck his cheek.

 

“Of course I did,” he reassured, “an’ then I went on to star in the news for about a day or so.  Figured by the time I got around ta making a more responsive prosthetic leg, people wouldn’t be so invested, but ah...I was around fifteen at the time when I got a call from some American billionaire whose son recently lost an arm and was willin’ ta help me patent the design if I made one for ‘im.”

 

Jamison saw the way Mako’s nose wrinkled and felt a pang of guilt in his stomach, curling up closer.  “I hope you’ll understand, mate, I was really, really,  _ really _ trusting back then.  Plus, I didn’t really get what patents were like until later on...I’m planning on just releasing it once it runs out.  All I knew was it was a way of gettin’ me outta Australia’s hands and maybe makin’ me a lil more in control of my own life.  Then I actually met the guy’s son and...well.  You’ve met ‘im now.”

 

“You don’t have to explain yourself, Jamie,” Mako cooed, pressing his lips to the top of the blond’s head, “but it is unnerving, hearing all these people moving you around like an animal right after your life changed so drastically.”

 

“Don’t you worry,” Jamison mindlessly tugged at the stretchy fabric of the man’s shirt, “I got my time to mourn.  We’re talkin’ in terms of months here, ‘cept for when Mr. McCree stepped in.  That man gets movin’ pretty fast.”

 

“Maybe it doesn’t really bother you then,” Mako sighed, letting out a wince, “but...didn’t you ever feel a little hurt, all those people ignoring that you wouldn’t ever be able to go home again?”

 

Jamison instinctively clutched a hand over his heart, eyelids lowering as he stared mesmerizingly at the ocean waves below.  “No,” he asserted, “it wasn’t their job ta care.  My life was over, and I had to start a new one.  I knew it, they knew it, and that’s about as far as we agreed upon it.  Like I said, I had my time ta mourn.  An’ besides, I got a home now, don’t I?”

 

Both of Mako’s large arms wrapped tightly around him in crushing reassurance, a comfortable spot Jamison hoped never to leave.  “You do, Jamie,” his lover whispered, “you really do.”

 

ヽ( ・ (OO) ・ )ﾉ⌐■-■ 

 

The drive home was surprisingly warmer than earlier, although maybe that had been since the sun had been baking down onto that slice of the world longer at that point.

 

It was hard enough to talk while on a motorcycle, of course, but even so, Jamison was curious to observe how silent Mako was.  Well, more than usual.  Even after he went and told his story, the homeowner seemed to have some serious thoughts running through that brain of his.  After all, why else would he seemingly have nothing much to say?

 

Another part of Jamison’s mind reasoned that it was simply because Mako wasn’t really that great at processing grief, which was understandable given all the shit he went through.  Still, when imagining what Mako’s reaction would be hearing about his injuries, he at least expected some tears.  Not that he wanted his boyfriend to cry over him...In fact, he couldn’t even bring himself to cry over his own sob story!

 

Mako did enough for him.  He hugged him, kissed him, cared about his feelings throughout all that fucked up part of his life...So why was he asking for more?

 

It was the first time talking about it since it happened, wasn’t it?  Everyone else he talked to from then either already knew, or just didn’t ask.  And all through recounting what was left of his memory, his eyes remained dry.

 

Jamison was in quite the conundrum here.  He absolutely hated crying, and yet, despite this, it wasn’t uncommon for him to start tearing up out of the blue simply because his eyes were too watery to begin with.  And here he was, wishing he cried for something that actually mattered.  Why the hell couldn’t he do it...?

 

The roads slowly became familiar, and in a short time from then, their little home came into view.  Jamison’s thoughts bothered him enough that it took him a little while longer to pack up his things in the sidecar, sluggishly making his way into the house proper and only managing to take his mind off of his brooding one Poaka’s snout started sniffing viciously at his knees.

 

“Oi,” he chuckled as he collapsed to the floor, rubbing the piggy’s brown ears gently, “I missed ya too, big boy.”

 

“Jamie?” The blond turned to see a large hand extended out towards him, taking it in an instant and standing up with the help.  “Sorry,” Mako apologized, eyes averted to the floor and his cheeks flushed pink, “I don’t mean to keep pulling you along like this, but can we go outside for a moment?”

 

“No need to fret,” Jamison followed along without complaint, “what’s up?”

 

Although now he was concerned.  Mako was looking in every direction but at him.  Although it didn’t really mean much, to be pulled away from the company of a pig so it was just them and the setting sun, there was clearly something important the older man wanted to say, and whatever it was made Jamison’s heart race even though he was unclear as to why.

 

The blond watched as the other closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and released it with a brave look in his gaze.  “I...I brought you to that place today for a reason,” Mako admitted, “but when you started to talk, I decided I should just save what I was going to say for another day.  On the ride home, however...I kept thinking, and I couldn’t get it out of my head.  Jamie...do you like living here?”

 

Goodness, Mako was so cute when he was concerned.  Jamison took both of Mako’s hands and held them with his own smaller ones, giving him a relaxed smile to console the man’s fears.  “Of course I love living here,” he answered endearingly, stepping in closer, “I love you.  You’ve given me a life happier than I could have ever imagined.  I don’t feel stressed, I don’t feel scared...I feel right at home.  Wherever we are together, I’m happy.  You make me so happy, Mako.”

 

With no focus on stopping them, tears escaped him and rolled down his cheeks, one rolling into his mouth and catching his tongue.  The salt brought his mind back to the cliffside, and Mako’s eyes shone with a spark of courage.  His large thumb wiped over the younger man’s face, taking a preemptive breath to speak again.

 

“I love you too, Jamie,” Mako beamed, “I love you so much.  That’s why I want to be by your side, no matter what.  I don’t want either of us to be alone ever again.”

 

The words comforted Jamison so that he hardly realized it when Mako began to lower, until he was down on one knee before him, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a small, black, felt box.  Upon seeing it, however, the blond gasped and just as fast covered his agape mouth with both hands, knees twisting inward and tears flowing even more than before as he saw the gold band encrusted with rubies inside.

 

“Jamison Fawkes, light of my life,” Mako spoke with the sweetest sincerity, “will you marry me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait...why...why did I...write this...
> 
> It's been 10,000 years since I've played Overwatch seriously why the fuck did I write this
> 
> WHY IS IT ALMOST 4000 WORDS
> 
> Uh...anyway, here's another chapter, whoever's left that's still subscribed to this story. Enjoy?


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